UCT came from a half-time deficit to seal a 31-22 victory over NWU, while there were also wins for UP-Tuks and UWC in round two of the Varsity Cup.

On a day that seemed marked by the comeback, the Ikey Tigers kept their unbeaten start to the season with a crucial home win against NWU in Cape Town.

The hosts took an early 9-0 lead thanks to a self-converted point-of-origin try by flyhalf James Tedder. The rest of the first half belonged to the visitors as a brace from Lincoln Daniels, to go with a score from Khulu Mcuma, put them 17-9 ahead. Crucially, wing Rayno Mapoe crossed just before the break to keep UCT within touching distance.

UCT continued this momentum after the break, as they scored two quick tries in the opening five minutes of the second half. Tedder then slotted a penalty, which gave the Tigers enough of a buffer to walk away with the win despite a late score from NWU’s Ruan Swiegers.

Meanwhile, the University of Pretoria are also unbeaten and climbed to the top of the log thanks to a 40-23 bonus-point win over CUT in Bloemfontein.

The game was not as comfortable as the result suggests, but second-half tries by backs Wian van Niekerk, Alex-Zander du Plessis and Sango Xamlashe sealed all five points for the visitors.

UWC got their season kick-started with a dramatic but deserved 29-28 win against Shimlas in Bloemfontein.

Flyhalf Keagan Fortune turned into a hero for the Cape side, as he scored a seven-point try before slotting a 76th-minute penalty to snatch the win.

Photo: @VarsityCup/Twitter