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Close but no cigar for CUT
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- Created on Monday, 14 May 2012 18:09
So close yet so far. That is how Saturday's Bloemfontein City League encounter between FNB CUT and the FNB Shimlas of UFS can be described.
Both teams were unbeaten in the league, before this match at the CUT Stadium in Bloemfontein, and Shimlas scored the winning try in the last few minutes of the game only.
It showed that the Ixias will be able to hold their own in the Varsity Cup should they get promoted from the Varsity Shield competition in 2014.
Shimlas trailed by 19-24 at half-time and with just a few minutes of play left CUT Ixias were still ahead 34-31. However, a small slip-up on defence by CUT Ixias gave Shimlas the opportunity to run in the winning try by loose forward Fanie van der Walt.
Good possession in the loose and Shimlas' ability to play the ball wide and create space for their speedsters made it possible for them to score six tries - three by their back row forwards.
The Ixias dominated the scrums and line-outs, with locks Carl Wegner and Gavin Annadale doing sterling work. The home team's strong front row of Rudie Britz, Fanie Gouws and Mauritz Henderson had the upperhand in the scrums - even winning ball on Shimlas' feed. But this possession was not always used by CUT - although outside backs Noel Marx, Alec Mhlanga and Leon Pretorius scored excellent tries.
Behind the pack of forwards, Stefan Griesel and Jannie Myburg played well, but in the end CUT Ixias were kept at bay through strong defence and hard tackling by the Shimlas.
* Meanwhile, the new kids on the block in Bloem City League, the CUT Tjisas, lost 29-38 to Crusaders in the Clive Solomon Stadium on Saturday.
All the scorers from Saturday:
FNB CUT 34 (24) FNB Shimlas 38 (19)
For CUT:
Tries: Pretorius, Marx, Wagner, Sebatla
Cons: Myburgh 4 (from 4)
Pens: Myburgh 2 (from 2)
For Shimlas:
Tries: Strydom 2, Van der Walt 2, Du Toit, Mohoje
Cons: Erwee 4 (from 6)
Crusaders 38 (14) CUT Tjisas 29 (14)
For the Crusaders:
Tries: Jeremy Jordaan, Brenden Colby, Loutjie Jordaan, CJ Visser, Blaine Thlabane, Clint Caron
Cons: Egan Gysman 3, Loutjie Jordaan
For the CUT Tjisas:
Tries: Mpondo Maphelo, Fanie Coetzer 2, Danie van der Merwe
Cons: Dane Sherrat 3
Pen: Sherrat
By Georg van Eck
