The Stellenbosch contest was an arm-wrestle for much of the first quarter. Eagles captain Sampie Swiegers converted an early opportunity before the hosts responded with a converted try of their own through hooker Sean Swart. In the 25th minute, outside centre Waqar Solaan seized the initiative for Maties when he broke the line and set up fullback Nevaldo Fleurs for a stunning try.

Fleurs slotted the conversion and then two subsequent penalties. Suddenly, Maties were out to a commanding 20-7 lead, while NWU’s attack was hampered by a series of handling errors over the course of the game. Their lineout misfired and their discipline let them down at key moments. Their scrum, however, kept them in the contest.

After earning some reward from this set piece, and after addressing their lineout and mauling woes, they scored another try through Swiegers in the 61st minute. Replacement flyhalf Martin Venter missed the ensuing conversion and a late penalty attempt. As a result, the Eagles failed to claim so much as a losing bonus point from the fixture.

Scorers:

FNB Maties 20 (20) – Tries: Sean Swart, Nevaldo Fleurs. Conversions: Fleurs (2). Penalties (2).

FNB NWU Eagles 12 (7) – Tries: Sampie Swiegers (2). Conversion: Nivan Petersen.

Earlier in the day, Wits romped to a 51-12 bonus-point win against UWC in Johannesburg to move out of the relegation zone. Several teams face a fight for survival in the latter stages of this year’s competition. At the end of the current season, the two-lowest ranked sides on the combined 2021-22 log will be relegated to the FNB Varsity Shield.

Wits absorbed a lot of early pressure and then struck from turnover ball. Two point-of-origin tries and two successful conversions boosted the hosts into a commanding 18-0 lead after 20 minutes. Scrumhalf Hlumelo Ndudula scored a second try thereafter, while halfback partner Chris Humphries secured the team’s four-try bonus point on the stroke of half-time.

The tempo of the Wits attack wreaked havoc upon the visitors’ defence. The hosts maintained their intensity after the break to surpass the half-century mark. Humphries finished the contest with a haul of 20 points.

Scorers:

FNB Wits 51 (35) – Tries: Hlumelo Ndudula (1x7, 1x5), Luhle Matyolweni (2x7), Chris Humphries, Wian de Lange. Conversions: Humphries (6). Penalty: Humphries.

FNB UWC 12 (3) – Try: Romuald Ntumba (1x7). Conversion: Lyle Hendricks. Penalty: Hendricks.


In Gqeberha, UJ recorded a well-deserved 24-9 win against the Madibaz. Two early converted tries by hooker Darnell Osuagwu gave the visitors a 14-0 lead, which is how it stayed until the start of the third quarter when flyhalf Jonathan Viljoen kicked a penalty goal. Replacement flank Philip Apea-Adu scored the Orange Army’s third try of the night in the 64th minute but they were unable to get another for the bonus point.

Instead, it was fullback Kyle Cyster who got the FNB Madibaz on the board with a consolation point-of-origin try.

Scorers:

FNB Madibaz 9 (0) – Tries: Kyle Cyster (1x7). Conversion: Siphosethu Dlongodlongo.

FNB UJ 24 (14) – Tries: Darnell Osuagwu (2), Philip Apea-Adu. Conversions: Jonathan Viljoen (3). Penalty: Viljoen.

In Pretoria, No 8 Divan Venter scored two of UP-Tuks’ nine tries as they thrashed the winless CUT Ixias 61-12.

Scorers:

FNB UP-Tuks 61 (33) – Tries: Ethan Burger, Divan Venter (1x5, 1x7), Kabelo Mokoena, Stephen Smit, Tharquinn Manuel (1x7), Werner Fourie, Orateng Koikanyang, Mihlali Stamper (1x7). Conversions: Clyde Lewis (2), Walter Visser (3).

CUT Ixias 12 (7) – Tries: Jan Kotze, Matthew Sekele. Conversion: Zinedene Booysen.

The match between UFS Shimlas and the UCT Ikeys in Bloemfontein was postponed due to lightning and was played at 09h00 on Tuesday morning, with the hosts running out comfortable victors by 58-7, a welcome rebound after the early pacesetters lost their last two matches.

As a result of this big win, the Free Staters moved into second position on the log, pushing the Ikey Tigers down to third.

Scorers:

FNB UFS Shimlas 58 (17) – Tries: Lourens Oosthuizen, Zane Bester (1x5, 1x7), Pierre Uys, Ruwald van der Merwe, Litha Nkula (1x7), Janco van Heiningen (1x7), Blaine Golden. Conversions: Nkula (4), George Lourens (2).

FNB UCT Ikeys 7 (0) – Try: Matthew Hamilton. Conversion: Duran Koevort.

FNB Varsity Cup Round 7 fixtures (28 March):

● FNB UWC vs FNB CUT (17h00, UWC Stadium, SuperSport channel 211)
● FNB UCT Ikeys vs FNB Maties (19h00, UCT Rugby Fields, SuperSport channel 211)
● FNB UP-Tuks vs FNB Wits (19h00, Tuks Stadium, SuperSport Schools App)
● FNB NWU Eagles vs FNB Madibaz (19h00, Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds, SuperSport Schools App)
● FNB UJ vs FNB UFS Shimlas (19h00, UJ Stadium, SuperSport Schools App)