Defending champions UJ will face Tuks in the Cup final of the Varsity Sevens at the Pirates Club in Johannesburg. DYLAN JACK reports.
UJ, who hammered the UFS Kovsies 57-10 in the quarter-finals, faced a tough encounter against the NMU Madibaz.
The men in orange did well to weather the Madibaz storm and turned defence into attack as Odwa Nkunjana burst through the line to run in untouched for a 10-point powerplay, try which was followed up by Vuyo Shongwe, who crossed in the corner from close range to hand UJ a 22-0 advantage.
UJ were just too strong in the first half as Devon Mare snuck in for a converted try which saw them carry a 29-0 lead into the break.
The Madibaz were galvanised into action when the match resumed as they crossed for two tries, including one to Luvo Claassen, but UJ cancelled their efforts as they crossed for a powerplay try to march into the Cup final with a 38-12 victory.
Meanwhile, Tuks were up against a determined UWC side, with the men from the Cape looking to make a statement before their entrance into the Varsity Cup next year.
UWC bolted out the blocks as Kurt-Lee Arendse injected some pace into their attack as he crossed in the left-hand corner before Dewald Naudé pulled back a try for Tuks, which saw the fleet-footed winger evade four tackles to score.
Zandré Kruger dotted down just before the break to hand UP-Tuks the lead.
The men from Pretoria dominated the second half as Mihle Nelani crossed the whitewash twice and Lorenzo Cloete added his name to the scoresheet to give them a 36-12 win.
Photo: Kevin Sawyer/Varsity Sports
