UCT smash NTK in final home game

UCT 67:15 NTK
The sun was back on the Green Mile and so were the Ikey Tigers after two narrow losses against Durbell and Villagers in last week’s notorious mud match.  UCT produced some fantastic tries and ran their opponents ragged – NTK in their final showing of this season competed well in the first half, down 17:3 at the break, but in the second half the floodgates opened. Thankfully this time they didn’t bring horizontal rain and hail, but some great running rugby and brace of well worked tries.

UCT with two big test matches looming had made a couple of changes some positional, some injury forced, others rotating the squad and it was great to see the team performing so seamlessly. 

5 minutes into the match UCT got good go forward ball on their 10
metre. The Tigers went wide to Bijl (11), who was left with a one on one with his
opposite number. The NNK wing made the tackle, but Bijl managed to pop the ball
up to a supporting player who passed the ball onto JP Koster
(2). Koster was in open space and ran in for the opening points of the match.
Kyle Wickens (9) missed the conversion. 10 minutes later UCT drove the ball
from a line out. NNK shoved the Ikeys back with a good counter drive. Wickens
threw a big dummy and went through a hole left in NNK’s defence. Wickens drew
the fullback and passed to Whitehead, who ran in the second try under the
poles. Wickens converted the try. Twenty minutes later NNK goaled a penalty after a UCT
player was pemalised for obstruction. After the the kick off UCT regained
possession and Edgar made a line break. He then drew the fullback and passed to
Whitehead, Whitehead ran in for his second try of the afternoon. Wickens missed
the conversion. The half time whistle soudnded shortly after that with the scores
at 17 – 3.

Ten minutes into the second half UCT had
the put into a scrum just outside NNK’s 22 metre line, Edgar came in on a perfect
angle and scored. The try was converted. Ten minutes later Koster broke through
on the half way, and Whitehead ended up underneath the poles, making the conversion a formality. After another few minutes Burch tanked himself through teh defense and found himself in open space where he gave
the ball to Engelbrecht whom scored. The conversion was missed. The flourish
of tries continued with the best try of the afternoon. UCT turned the ball over
on their own line and made countless passes. In the end Koster ended up over
the line. From a tap and go replacement Dayne Jans scored his first try for the
1^st XV. Vakia Hove (Fish) ran in another try for UCT. Soon after NNK
finally got more points after an intercept. The conversion was missed. NNK got
another concellation try through another intercept, this time the try was
converted. UCT ended the match with another converted try. The final scores of
the match were UCT 62 – NNK 15.

Report by Chad Barker

There were a couple of stand-outs on the day, Pieter Engelbrecht was on the rampage on the wing, Jody Burch steamrolled would be defenders on a number of occasions, Justin Bijl and Pete Haw showed some great skills, but it was young Tim Whitehead who won the man of the match award. Luzuko Panya smoked an NTK forward straight off one of the many kick-offs and earned himself the Big Hit of the day. It was a fantastic match to watch it was also a great
send-off for Kevin Foote, being his last home game. Foote, the former SA Sevens captain has played a couple of years at Varsity, captained the team very successfully 2005 to 2007 but has decided
to hang up his boots at the end of the season.

Ikey Tigers:
1. Vakai Fish Hove, 2. JP Koster, 3. Ian Matthews, 4. Mike Ledwige,
5. Michael Passaportis, 6. Kyle Brown, 7. Jody Burch 8. JJ Gagiano (c), 9.Kyle Wickens , 10. Kevin Foote, 11. Peter Engelbrecht 12. Tim Whitehead 13. Dave Edgar (vc). 14. Justin Bijl 15 Peter Haw

Reserves:
Dayne ‘Danger’ Jans, Dylan Rodgers, Bodo Sieber, Craig Kleu,  Luzuko Panya,  Matias ‘Chili’ Vergara, Matt Turner , James Bailes