Ikeys Fail to Beat UJ
The FNB Ikey Tigers lost their final home game of the 2017 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International on Monday afternoon as they went down 40-12 against the powerful running of FNB UJ. The team almost mounted a comeback in the second half, but were unable to topple the in-form visitors.
“We knew before the game that UJ are a very good attacking team. We had the wind behind us in the first half, but they did well to keep the ball out of our hands,” said coach Esterhuizen. 24% possession in the first half for the home side meant that there was very little they could do in terms of using the wind to their advantage.
“We completed two-hundred and twelve tackles in the first half, so I’m really proud of the guys because after that, they were able to come back onto the field, get their hands on the ball and dominate as well. It shows real fighting spirit and character,” Esterhuizen added.
The FNB Ikey Tigers were trailing 18-0 at halftime, and two second half tries by Gerard Pieterse and Seb Roodt weren’t enough on the day as FNB UJ continued their clinical attacking display during the second half. The FNB Ikey Tigers now sit in seventh position on the log, ten points behind fourth placed FNB Shimlas with a game in hand. With only two game weeks remaining, their chances of making it into the final four of the competition are increasingly slim.
The FNB Ikey Tigers team that took the field:
1 Wayrin Losper, 2 Cuan Hablutzel, 3 Michael Kumbirai, 4 Duncan Saffy, 5 Gary Porter, 6 Jason Klaasen (C), 7 Nama Xaba, 8 Luke Stringer, 9 Stefano de Gouveia, 10 Rob Anderson, 11 Seb Roodt, 12 Hendrik Lategan, 13 Joel Smith, 14 Rayno Mapoe, 15 Gerard Pieterse.
Substitutions:
16 Martin Chandler, 17 William Day, 18 Lee-Marvin Mazebuko, 19 Sanele Malwane, 20 Michael Henning, 21 Jez Macintyre, 22 Suwi Chibale.
Scorers:
Tries: Gerard Pieterse (7 pointer), Seb Roodt
The FNB UJ team that took the field:
1 Brendon Weideman, 2 Johannes Snyman, 3 Nico du Plessis, 4 Kevin du Randt, 5 Adriaan Bester, 6 Gavin Delport, 7 Wian Conradie, 8 Jo-Hanco de Villiers, 9 Johan Esterhuizen, 10 Divan Nel, 11 Godfrey Ramaboea, 12 Jaco Fourie, 13 Odwa Dyantyi, 14 Dean Brown, 15 Curtley Adams.
Replacements:
16 Baard Le Roux, 17 Kyle Kruger, 18 Chergin Fillies, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Willem Massyn, 21 Devon Mare, 22 Carlisle Jordaan, Peter-John Walters.
Scorers:
Tries: Johan Esterhuizen, Curtley Adams (7 pointer), Jo-Hanco de Villiers, Godfrey Ramaboea (7 pointer).
Conversions: Divan Nel (4)
Penalties: Divan Nel
Yellow Cards: Godfrey Ramaboea
