Game UCT beat Helderberg

UCT played Helderberg in an exciting encounter on the Green Mile this past weekend and ran in 3 tries to seal the win at 30 -10.

In a game where most spectators expected a tight physical encounter from Helderberg, a game of open running rugby ensued as the UCT backline ran at the opposition with everything they had.

The very educated boot of fullback, Paul Cohen kept the home sides score board ticking over as the this young star knocked it over from all over the park. And as if his efforts with the boot weren’t enough, the fullback finished off some slick backline handling as he jinxed his way in and out of the Helderberg defense and over in the corner for an amazing try which left the home side leading 20 -3 at half time.

The second half of the game was even more exciting as UCT gained confidence in their running ability and stretched the Helderberg defense wide. Playing into a strong wind on the Green Mile didn’t seem to bother the Varsity side as they spread the ball wide as often as they could. Cohen was again in the mix as the backs and forwards combined for an almost full field try that saw the nuggety hooker, Blake Pengeully over the whitewash. And UCT weren’t done yet as scrumhalf, Sharief Hendricks, who also had a very good game wrapped it up with a third try and final try.

The UCT pack battled initially in the tight phases of the game and especially at scrum time, however the cool, calm and collected Wilke Brink at tighthead managed to settle things down, providing the exciting UCT backs with a more stable first phase ball in the second half.

The UCT forwards lead valiantly by JJ Gagiano hunted as a pack and got through a large amount of work in the loose. There was also a great deal of interplay between the forwards and backs, which is something we’ve come to expect from Varsity in the past years.

With a very busy schedule ahead of them in terms of games within short succession, the UCT First XV will need to stay focused for the next few weeks. With VICS as a mid-week game this week, the side will certainly be tested.

Scorers:
Tries: Paul Cohen, Blake Pengeully and Sharief Hendricks
Penalties: Paul Cohen (5)