by Tanisha Heiberg | Feb 12, 2016 | Sport
Tanisha Heiberg
KICKING SUCCESS: FNB Wits Fly half, Warren Gilberts, kicking for the posts during their second Varsity Shield game where his team dominated with a 53-0 win against FNB TUT. Photo: Provided by Catherine Kotze
FNB Wits beat FNB TUT by 53 points when they played their first home game this season in the Varsity Shield rugby match on Monday.
Enjoying home ground advantage, Wits were hoping to redeem themselves from not only their 26-18 defeat against UKZN last week Monday, but also their 2015 defeat against the same team in the varsity shield finals.
The rainy weather, which threatened to disrupt play, didn’t dampen the spirits as Thato Marubela scored the first try to put his team 5-0 up. Captain Conor Brocschmidt brought the score up five more points to bring his team back into double digits. Fly-half Warren Gilberts, who missed his first conversion, managed to add three extra points on his second attempt. Wits continued piling on the pressure with a try from Constant Beckerling and another successful conversion. The Wits defense held firm against a desperate and physical FNB TUT side, bringing the halftime score to 21-0 for the home team
In the second half continued in the same vein, with Scrum-half Ruan MacDonald scoring three consecutive tries and his teammate AJ van Blerk putting the final nail in the coffin when he converted a penalty try, ending the game with a whitewash final score to 53-0 for FNB Wits.
“They were more physical than I expected but I don’t think they were as tactically prepared as we were,” said Brocschmidt.
The Wits team managed to regroup from a disappointing loss lost week and improve on their backline to clinch not only a confidence boosting win, but also an excellent birthday present for their team captain. “It was quite a good birthday present,” said Brocschmidt.
Even with a slight break, the Wits team won’t lose sight of their target to improve on last season’s form, when they travel to the University of Fort Hare to play FNB UFH next Thursday at Davidson Rugby Stadium.
“Every opposition is a strong opposition but I think we are pretty confident … the boys will be hungry for more after this,” said Brocschmidt.
by Anlerie de Wet | Sep 19, 2015 | News
South Africans and rugby fans around the world are shocked at the Springboks’ unexpected loss against Japan.
Japan’s Karne Hesketh placing the ball over the chalk line for the winning try against the Springboks Saturday night. Photo: Charlie Crowhurst
South Africa’s two time Rugby World Cup winning Springboks took on the underdog team of Japan on Saturday and lost.
Before the start of the first of the Pool B matches everyone knew this game would be historical as it was the first time these two sides met. To the surprise of rugby fanatics around the world, including that of Japan, the Asian side pulled well-deserved 32-34 win out of the bag in extra time.
“We let the country down, we let ourselves down…no excuses,” said Springbok head coach Heyneke Meyer.
Before the game Japan only won one out of their 24 matches in their RWC bids, whereas South Africa only lost four out of their 25 games.
From the kick-off Japan was on the Boks with every move they made putting pressure with their ability to get to the break-down faster than the green and gold.
They played tactically well and made good use of every opportunity the Boks gave them with penalties.
Although the Japanese displayed incredible rugby, one might say the Springboks’ starting XV were definitely not of the caliber that the world is use to.
Meyer chose to play heavy and slow players expecting Japan would be a walk-over win of at least 40 points, but he played right into Japan’s coach, Eddie Jones’ hands.
Springbok captain, Jean de Villiers was at a loss for words after the games, but commended the Japanese side for a fantastic game.
Never before has a team conceded this many points against South Africa in a RWC match.
Unless South Africa wins the rest of their pool games with two bonus points the Boks will be going home much sooner than expected.
They will be taking on an even tougher opposition in the form of Samoa next Saturday. If they lose this game their campaign for the cup is over.
by Reuven Blignault | Sep 18, 2015 | Sport
The Springboks are ready to take on the Rugby World Cup 2015. They will be playing in venues that are usually the hallowed ground of football fanatics.
In the past few months, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the use of these grounds. Football critics are worried about the damage 22 heavy-set men will cause to the pristine football pitches.
INBOUND: The springboks will be playing across various venues around the UK. In group B, they will be facing Japan, Scotland, Samoa and the USA.
by Valerie Robinson | Sep 18, 2015 | News, Sport
Tonight is the opening of the highly anticipated world cup, with the Boks playing their first match tomorrow, are armed with the right details?
The world awaits: The rugby world cup will kick off in London tonight, with Twickenham stadium the stage for opening game. Photo: David Rogers.
The 2015 Rugby world cup will kick off tonight, when hosts England will face Fiji at 21:00.
The opening ceremony will start at 20:00 and will tell the story of the sport’s birth. Expected to be included is the story of William Webb Ellis, who in 1823 picked up a football and started running with it and is often credited as the creator of the sport.
Today the world cup’s trophy is named the Webb Ellis Cup. The show is expected to last 20 minutes and will end 40 minutes before the first match will kick off.
South Africa will play their first game tomorrow against Japan. All South Africa’s pool games are scheduled to take place at 17:45 making it convenient for most of us to catch the game.
Also joining us in Pool B will be Samoa, USA and Scotland. Most predictions point to us progressing from the group stages. But the problem starts after that. With their being a very good chance that we will be facing either hosts England or Australia in the quarter-finals, or perhaps even New-Zealand in the semi-finals.
If this is the case many believe the finals might be too predictable an outcome with all the tension placed in the previous rounds.
The obvious teams to keep an eye on are Australia and England in Pool A, New-Zealand, Argentina, France.
This will be the 4th World Cup for veteran Boks Schalk Burger and Victor Matfield. It was clear at their welcoming event, last Sunday, that the team have supporters backing them in England. More than a hundred people were stranded when the venue in Eastbourne reached full capacity, as crowds fill the stadium to cheer on the Boks.
by Tendai Dube | Mar 10, 2015 | Sport
LETS MAKE A CLAP: Wits boys share their victory with the crowd as they walk off the field after a stunning game of multiple tries. Photo: Lutho Mtongana
FNB WITS remain in the top spot of the Varsity Shield log after a comprehensive win against the University of Fort Hare (UFH) last night. The Witsies came away 93 – 0 against the team from Alice at the Wits Rugby stadium.
This was Wits’ second win in the season against Fort Hare, having beaten them 39 – 24 last month.
Wits flew into half-time with an unassailable lead of 48 points after right-wing Joshua Jarvis and left-wing Luxulo Ntsepe helped score two more tries. Fort Hare never managed to recover with poor defence dominating their performance.
“We didn’t make our own one-on-one tackles, we never got the ball-in-hand – we’d kick it away. So we played most of the game without the ball-in-hand, so surely when you don’t have the ball in hand in rugby, you’ll always go down,” said UFH’s coach Currie.
“It’s an embarrassment, I think the best thing about this game is that it’s over. But you have got to keep fighting, the show’s not over, we’ve got two more games left,” said UFH captain, Madoda Ludidi.
“You can’t afford to have three tries scored against you in the first fifteen minutes, then you start playing your own rugby – start playing ‘catch-up rugby’, which is not winning rugby, unfortunately,” Ludidi added.
Wits rugby captain, Richard Crossman congratulated his team on a good game. He was named the “player that rocks” for the night – the Varsity Shield title for the man of the match.
“I’m so glad we were so clinical, I think it was a great game for the team, we’ve got a great coaching style and great management,” Crossman said.
Wits coach, Van As said the boys could stay on top. “If we keep our feet on the ground and just make sure we achieve what we want at the end of the season.”
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Wits Vuvuzela, Wits boys shield their position on top, February 27, 2015
by Tendai Dube | Sep 11, 2014 | Sport
Tendai Dube & Lutho Mtongana
The Young Doctors (Medics) celebrate their 16-13 win against Masakhane in the finals of the internal rugby league. Photo: Lutho Mtongana
CORRECTION: Wits Vuvuzela initially reported that Men’s Res won against the Engineers but it was the Engineers that won the game. We regret the error.
After a 10-year losing steak, the Medics have finally claimed the top spot on the internal rugby league by beating Masakhane 16 – 13 at Wits University last night.
The Young Doctors scored the winning try of a high-pressured game that saw both teams at 13-all in the last ten minutes.
“My favourite part of the game was when Charl Stonewall Bosman (medics) slotted that drop goal”, medics captain, Patrick Chappel said.
“It was a tremendously difficult game, it was really tough, there has been a slow rivalry between us and Masakhane for a while now but it was fantastic and the boys are over the moon,” said Chappel.
Although the game ended sadly for the Masakhane boys their captain, Katlego Maseko believes the team put their all in the game.
“The team played amazingly, I think the boys put their all and their hearts into it but as captain, I let them down”, Maseko said.
“We deserved more from the outcome of the game,” he added.
The first half of the game showed Medics leading 13–0 against Masakhane but the Masakhane boys came back hard after an intense pep talk from their captain, telling the team to put out their hands, face-up and grab for the coveted trophy. In the second half Masakhane managed to equalise the score 13-all, but it fell short as the Medics scored once more.
The evening started with a “curtain raiser” match between, Mens Residence playing once again against the recently disqualified Engineers, Engineers won 47-8.
Humanities (Titans) and South African Hellenic Association (SHA) also played a “bowl final”, where the Titans walked away 64-0.
by Tendai Dube | Sep 2, 2014 | Sport
DISQUALIFIED: Engineers in a huddle at the Wednesday night game where they beat Men’s Residence, 10 – 5. Photo: Tendai Dube
The Wits Engineers rugby team has been disqualified from the internal rugby league for fielding players in breach of regulations.
The team will not play in the semi-finals tomorrow night after it was found that two of the team members who won 10-5 against Men’s Res last week, belong to other clubs.
The disqualification was confirmed today by the team’s captain, Matthew Peter, and league coordinator Alan Leonard.
The league’s regulations dictate that “a player that has played for any other club during a specific calendar year, whether it was in a friendly or in a league match, will not be allowed to participate in the competition during that specific year.”
According to Leonard, the Engineers’ captain requested permission on the morning of the game to allow a Pirates club member to play that evening but he (Leonard) denied the request. Engineers opted to field the player anyways.
“In our opinion, what would have been more fair is to discuss the terms of a rematch,” said Peter.
“As a whole the internal league has very few Wits students to begin with, there aren’t that many Wits students who are keen to come down and play internal rugby, which is a problem. If that’s the case, you’re forced to bring in outside players.”
Peter also said the issue is more about the handling of the disqualification and how Men’s Res only complained at the end of the match when they knew who the two players were from the beginning.
“Literally, as I walked off the field I was pulled into a meeting, I was standing there in my full kit, sweating off the field, having to explain the two players’ status (sic),” said Peter.
According to Leonard, the Engineers have accepted the ruling and the disqualification from the competition.
As a result of the team’s disqualification, Men’s Res has been granted a second chance to move forward in pursuit of being titled the internal league winners in the final next week Wednesday.
“We are very grateful to be given a second chance and in all honesty we think we deserve it,” said Sbonga Mthalane, Men’s Residence captain.
The semi-final will be an all “M” final, with Masakhane, Medics, Monash and Mens Res, thrashing it out in the hopes of becoming one of the two remaining teams to go head-to-head in the finals the following week.
The lineup sees Masakane playing the first game against the second time lucky Men’s Res, and Medics versus the newcomers to the league, Monash.
The semi-finals are this Wednesday, September 3, from 7 pm on Rugby Field A on East Campus.
by Lutho Mtongana | Aug 8, 2014 | Sport
Wits rugby team Medics “Young Doctors” is currently number one at the university, having lost none of their matches this year from ten teams. Their latest victory was against Monash for the Rugby Internal League play off.
Following Young Doctors is Masakhane with 208 points and the Engineers with 173 points. The SA Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) which still have not won any games since the league started, managed only 50 points and continue to remain at the bottom this semester.
SAUJS have not played any games this semester and have been troubled since their team had a leadership deficit – their manager only just returned two weeks ago from a two month trip overseas. Alan Leonard, Rugby Internal League coordinator, said, “If SAUJS cannot continue then the scores for SAUJS will be wiped out and it will be as if they had not played. That levels the playing field”.
Meanwhile, Masakhane is determined to take the Medics on in the finale after they lost only one game last semester against the Medics. Katlego Maseko, Masakhane captain said his team had no problems, had “the best defence in the league” and he hoped to see Medics in the final.
Even though the Medics have done extremely well their captain, Donovan Heslop disclosed that “one part of our game that needs work is our defence and kicking, this has always been a problem with us our strongest asset has been our attack, we have very exciting players who are able to create tries when needed.”
TEAM HUG: The Medics rejoice after winning a game. Photo by: Tendai Dube
For the past three years the Medics have only made it to the semi-finals, not winning the cup. Heslop said this time, “Our goal is to make the final and hopefully win the league.”
As for Mens Res, they opened this semester with another loss. Leonard said, “Last week their fitness was not up to scratch and they seem to change their team every week.”
“I think the other teams have got stronger but also with the disruptions the teams have not played the same number of games,” he added.
Monash captain, Tatenda Mtemeri said that one of the reasons for their lack lustre performance well is that they had a lot of new players most of which were under 19. They had only three seniors remaining.
However, it’s not really a Super 6 anymore; this year all teams will play until the semi-finals. This means that all teams on the league, Medics, Masakhane, Engineers, Commerce, Monash, Humanities (Titans), Mens Res (Raiders), South African Hellenic Association (SHA), MGI Tigers and SAUJs will be part of the remaining three rounds of the games.
The Rugby Internal League Final will take place on September 10, with only three rounds left until the play-offs. The last week will see a five game round if SAUJS emerges from its leadership crises and continue to play, according to Leonard.
Close on the Medics’ heels for winner, according to the current standing, looks likely to be Masakhane or the Engineers.
by Lutho Mtongana | May 15, 2014 | Sport
Mens Res and Midrand Graduate Institute go head-to-head in a scrum. Photo: Lutho Mtongana
The Wits internal rugby league put on an exhilarating show last night with four tightly contested games on the east campus rugby fields.
All four games ended the first half with scores tied, an indication of how evenly matched the teams were.
The Steinhoff Medics won 34-32 against the Steinhoff Engineers in the highest scoring game of the night. The Medics ended the game with a spectacular try from within their own half.
The Midrand Graduate Institute (MGI) managed to score 26 points on their way to victory against Mens Res who only scored 18.
Humanities (Titans) lost to Masakhane who ended the game 8 points ahead after a difficult match. The game ended 16-8 late in the second half.
The final game of the night saw Steinhoff Commerce beating Monash in the final play with a try to win 16-14.
Monash lost their match despite scoring three tries that had the crowd begging for more.
The team currently leading the Wits internal rugby is Steinhoff Masakhane which has only lost one game out of a total of four games played.
Steinhoff Humanities is currently placed last and after the game it lost against Masakhane last night, and it seems like it will remain at the bottom of the league for this week as well.
There are still eight more weeks left before the final in July.
by Tendai Dube | Apr 11, 2014 | Sport
Men’s Residence team in celebration after beating Monash 24 – 18, in the first set of Wits internal rugby league on Wednesday. Photo: Tendai Dube
The Wits internal rugby league got off to a trying start on Wednesday.
Knockando and Humanities supporters left after both of their teams didn’t pitch up for their matches.
“Knockando thought their game only started at 8.30pm and Humanities said they didn’t know they were starting this week,” said Masakhane player Junior Mnisi.
Despite the delayed kick-off, Masakhane thrashed the Engineers in a 38 – 0 win. The SA Union of Jewish Students team and Commerce wound up playing each other after their opponents didn’t pitch up. Commerce won that match 36 -24.
Despite the confusion, the cool night and the 90 minute delay in starting the match, the fans who caught on took to the stands excitedly and not a little rowdy.
The loudest bunch were the fans from Men’s res, who cheered and stamped through their team’s victory, 24-18, over Monash.
As soon as Men’s res won, their fans emptied the bleachers and rushed onto the field with singing and cheering.
The Men’s residence fans formed up in a circle on the field and posed for pictures, bringing the first night of amateur rugby to a close.
The Humanities team won the Wits Internal League last season and competed in the Varsity Cup Koshuis tournament. A new season and the title are all up for grabs again.
by Luca Kotton | Mar 18, 2014 | Sport
BOYTJIES BUMMED: Scrum after scrum saw the iKeys Tigers taking possession of the ball, leaving the Wits Boytjies with mud on their faces. Photo: Luca Kotton
By Luca Kotton and Lutho Mtongana
Wits rugby ended their Varsity Cup season as the only team without a win after seven group games, last night. The home ground advantage and sassy cheerleaders couldn’t help the Boytjies snatch a win in their final Varsity Cup game.
Wits will now play rugby for the next two years in the Varsity Shield competition.
It has been a hard season for the Witsies but despite this, they remain optimistic for the upcoming years.
Wits rugby team captain, Devin Montgomery said, “[It’s been] very disappointing … We set high goals for ourselves and we could have done better … I definitely think we have improved but we are just not there yet, so we are going to have to work our way back into the competition”.
In the game, Wits were 10-0 down at half time and came out the blocks in the second half with a renewed energy.
The team struggled to get past their halfway line, as they continued to fumble the ball. University of Cape Town (UCT) team, iKeys Tigers could have buried the game earlier but their kicker seemed to struggle on the night missing all of his five kicks.
In the face of a seventh loss, Wits put all their effort in trying to revive their hopes of a victory. Unfortunately, their last gasp effort and single unconverted try was not enough against the strong finish of the iKeys Tigers who ended the match 25-5.
The UCT captain, James Alexander, at the prospect of a home semi-final told Wits Vuvuzela, “We came here thinking we are going to win the competition. So to have a semi-final we are in pretty good shape. We brought in new management…we came here quite confident, especially away from home we’ve done really well”.
Throughout the entire game the Wits crowd remained enthusiastic and filled the stadium with energy and song, supporting their team in the hope of a victory.
Miss Varsity Cup makes her debut
If UCT gets to the final of the Varsity Cup 2014 competition, they will be joined by the newly crowned Miss Wits Varsity Cup, Callie Shepherd.
Shepard won through a combination of likes on the Miss Varsity Cup 2014 Facebook page, photo-shoots, interviews and a fashion show.
[VIDEO: A full interview with the new title holder].
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by Percy Matshoba | Mar 11, 2014 | Sport
FNB-Wits (in blue) face relegation to the Varsity Shield league owing to their dismal performance in the Varsity Cup. Photo: File.
Wits Rugby has lost yet another game leaving the team at the bottom of the Varsity Cup league log facing relegation.
The team finished 16-8 in a rain-drenched match against NWU-Pukke in Potchefstroom last night.
Wits showed a fighting spirit from the onset but despite their perseverance Pukke fought a little harder to maintain top position in the league.
Stalemate
Pukke started the game strongest, taking advantage of home territory to dominate possession.
After the first break, the home side launched a strong attack, leaving Wits’s defence vulnerable. Jacques Vermaak earned the first try of the game giving Pukke 8 points on the board.
Wits made successive breaks for the Pukke tryline but failed each time .
As if this was not unfortunate enough for the Witsies, Brent Crossely received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle 27 minutes into the game. Being a man down did not discourage the Boytjies in blue as they continued to give their all.
After half time the hosts remained determined to consolidate their lead, while Wits camped just outside their opponent’s try line but falling short of a try.
Wits finally scores
[pullquote align=”right”]They gave everything on the night[/pullquote]
After 62 minutes Phillip de Wet scored again for Pukke, putting them 16-0 up. Wits responded quickly, with fullback Ruhan Nel scoring the first try for Wits in the 64th minute.
With the scores close at 16-8 and both teams searching for victory, the final 15 minutes of the game were tense.
With under 10 minutes to go a tactical move from Wits saw the introduction of hooker James Marx to the field with only 7 minutes left in the game. NWU-Pukke however remained determined to hold on to their lead and managed to keep Wits out.
Pukke captain Devin Montgomery acknowledged Wits’ fighting spirit: “Credit goes to Wits, they came out,” Montgomery said. He was not happy with the points scored by his team but was still happy with a victory.
Wits has not won a single game this season and are 8th on the log with only 3 points. They need to win their match against the winners of the lower league The Varsity Shield in order to avoid relegation to that league.
