Ikeys fall short in Bloem rain

The FNB Ikey Tigers found themselves on the wrong end of a 10-9 score line on Monday night as FNB CUT made history by recording their first ever victory in the Varsity Cup. In a game that completely contrasted last season’s, both teams battled it out in what resulted in a tight, low scoring match. Both teams had lost their season opener the week before, meaning that the FNB Ikey Tigers have now gone without a win for their second consecutive Varsity Cup match.

UCT head coach Hanyani Shimange conceded that his team were guilty of making crucial errors during Monday night’s clash. “We made some big mistakes at crucial times, and that only escalated and got worse as time went on. Eventually we found ourselves playing against the clock and that’s never a good position to be in,” Shimange said.

Although the match was played on a rainy day, meaning the pitch and ball were both wet and slippery, coach Hanyani Shimange believes that that is still no excuse. “We can’t blame the conditions, because rain and thunder are things we’re used to playing in and dealing with at the Green Mile. They defended well, and we made crucial mistakes so it didn’t go our way,” he said.

“There were some positives seen in the performance. Our scrums improved compared to last week’s game, but things broke down in other areas so it didn’t change much. We need to focus on a more complete performance,” Shimange added.

The FNB Ikey Tigers are set to play fourth placed FNB NWU-Puk (who suffered defeat at the hands of FNB UJ) on Monday night, and both teams will be eager to get a positive result.

The FNB Ikey Tigers will host FNB NWU-Puk on Monday, February 22nd at the Green Mile at 18:30. Tickets are available at (www.webtickets.co.za)

By Wessley Thring