Kovsies stand tallest

A new Varsity Sevens champion will be crowned on Monday as defending champions Maties were knocked out the semifinal spots.

Kovsies claimed top spot on the log following a 43-0 drubbing of UFH to knock UJ off their perch as the Johannesburg students had to settle for second place after their 12-17 loss to NWU-Pukke.

UP-Tuks secured third spot when they scored two late tries to claim a 36-19 victory after leading UCT-Ikeys 19-5 at half-time.

Despite comprehensively beating Walter Sisulu University, Maties were left to lick their wounds as they missed out on fourth place by virtue of points difference.

NWU-Pukke’s second win of the round secured them fourth place thanks to a convincing 48-7 demolition of UFH to sneak into the semifinal match.

UJ 12-17 NWU-Pukke

It was all UJ in the opening exchanges as they ran in two quick tries to take a handy 12-0 lead. Pukke were not going to let the game get away from them and launched attacks of their own but UJ displayed some stellar defence to keep the Potchefstroom from scoring any points in the first half.

UJ were down to six men early in the second half and Pukke took full advantage by making the most of their extra man to run in a try during a powerplay. They would take the lead soon after when they ran in their second try of the game to take a handy 17-12 lead with three minutes remaining in the match.

That would prove to be the final points of the encounter as Pukke held on to claim a massive win.

UFS-Kovsies 43-0 UFH

Kovsies wasted no time in asserting themselves on the match an ran in two quick tries to take a 14-0 lead after five minutes. Kovsies were relentless with their attacks as they stretched their lead to 26-0 with a powerplay try at the half-time break.

UFH came pout firing in the second half and put Kovsies under severe pressure, however, their momentum was dealt a heavy blow when they reduced to six men for a breakdown infringement.

Kovsies would take full advantage of the extra man when they ran in their fourth try of the match to secure the bonus point with three minutes left in the match.

UFH fought valiantly to find an opening in the Kovsies defence but they would be unable to do so as Kovsies grabbed a last second powerplay try to claim top spot on the log.

UP-Tuks 36-19 UCT-Ikeys

UCT got off to the ideal start when they scored in the first minute of the match. Tuks did not take lightly to conceding that early try as a great individual effort saw them take the lead thanks to a converted try.

Tuks were back on the attack with three minutes remaining in the match and punished UCT for some lackluster defending by grabbing their second converted try of the match. They would grab another on the stroke of halftime to head into the break with a healthy 19-5 lead.

UCT would bring themselves back into the match when they grabbed a converted try of their own to reduce the deficit to just seven points with four minutes remaining in the match. UCT would level the scores with two minutes in the match after they grabbed their third try of the game.

Tuks were forced to dig deep from that point and grabbed their bonus point with a try in the power play to knock the wind out of UCT’s sails. They would add a final try after regulation time to close out a hard-fought encounter.

Maties 44-0 WSU

Maties needed to claim a massive win over the dangerous WSU and got off to the perfect start when they crossed the whitewash in the opening two minutes of the match. They crossed the try line for two more tries in the first half to extend their lead to 15-0 at the break.

Maties secured the bonus point in the opening minute of the second half to extend their lead to 22 points. The rout would continue a minute later as they ran in try number five with four minutes remaining in the match.

The floodgates remained open as try number six was followed by a power play try after regulation time as Maties outscored their opponents seven tries to none.

NWU-Pukke 48-7 UFH

Needing a bonus point victory by 22 points, Pukke went in full attack mode and grabbed two early tries to get them valuable momentum in the match. A further two tries would be added as Pukke claimed the bonus point to head into the break with a 22-0 lead.

It was a tighter affair in the early stages of the second half but UFH succumbed to sustained pressure to leak a fifth try with four minutes remaining in the match.

UFH would throw the cat among the pigeons when they grabbed a converted try with three minutes remaining in the match to bring the deficit back down to 22 points.

Pukke remained composed and hit back immediately with a try of their own to regain their 29 point lead with one minute remaining in the match. The game was sealed when Pukke ran in a power play try to seal a convincing win.

Final Log standings

1	UFS Kovsies 7s	9	7	2	143	8	36
2	UJ 7s	9	6	3	135	7	31
3	UP Tuks 7s	9	6	3	90	5	29
4	NWU Puk 7s	9	6	3	80	4	28
5	Maties 7s	9	6	3	61	4	28
6	NMMU 7s	9	6	3	-2	3	27
7	UWC 7s	9	4	5	-19	2	18
8	UCT Ikeys 7s	9	2	7	-101	3	11
9	WSU 7s	9	2	7	-115	3	11
10	UFH 7s	9	0	9	-276	0	0