High-flying Maties double up

The Maties secured a 23-15 bonus-point victory over UFS-Shimlas in Bloemfontein on Monday to move to the top of the standings in the 2013 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International tournament.

The team from Stellenbosch backed up their victory over UJ at home last week by grabbing a vital win away from home to make it a full house of ten log points from their first two games of the season.

Three first-half tries saw Maties take a commanding 18-5 lead into the break, but UFS Shimlas battled back bravely to reduce the gap to 18-15 before a late try from Maties flyer JP Lewis sealed the victory for the visitors.

Defending champions UP-Tuks bounced back from their defeat to NWU-Pukke in Potchefstroom last week by downing UCT 24-16 in Pretoria.

The star-studded UP-Tuks outfit, which included six former Baby Boks, were forced to work hard for their victory against a fiery Ikeys side that refused to give in, with a late try to Dillyn Leyds earning the Cape side a vital bonus point for their efforts.

In Port Elizabeth the NMMU Madibaz were pushed all the way by a committed Wits outfit that showed plenty of heart to compete away from home following their heavy defeat to UFS-Shimlas last week.

The two sides were deadlocked at 16-16 in the dying stages of the match, but a try from Madibaz No 8 Marius Oosthuizen clinched a tense victory for the home side in front of their passionate fans.

The result means that NMMU remain unbeaten this season, after drawing to UCT last week, but the Maties are the only side with a full house of wins so far in 2013 after two weeks of action.

UJ were forced to come from behind to secure their first victory of the season against NWU-Pukke in Johannesburg.

The visitors took a 10-5 lead into the halftime break, but UJ showed great character to bounce back in the second half and seal an ultimately convincing 37-20 victory to get their 2013 campaign off the ground.

In the Varsity Shield CUT kept up their unbeaten streak with a 44-29 victory over Fort Hare in Bloemfontein. The Eastern Cape side showed plenty of spirit to score four tries and secure a bonus point against the log-leaders.

Peter de Villiers' UWC side got back to winning ways with a comprehensive 38-15 victory over the UKZN Impi. The Bellville side ran in six tries to move into second place on the log behind CUT.

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