The only undefeated side were eventually beaten as UWC lost to Maties in a replay of last year’s final, while Tuks and Maties make a late climb up the log.
Kovsies 7-29 Tuks
It took a few minutes to get going but a beautiful move by Tuks, starting from a lineout deep n their half was rounded off by winger Mervano da Silva. A dummy by Stephan Smit set up the second for Tuks under the posts. Before the half was done PJ Uys crossed over in the corner to give the Pretoria side a 19-0 lead.
In the second half Dewald Naude was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate know down and just moments Janco Cloete of Kovsies made it 7-19. But it was all over when Reagan Oranje scored in the Power Play to make it 29-7 to Tuks.
UCT 22-15 UKZN
UCT continued their better run of form and Justin Heunis put his side in the lead after a powerful run to the far corner handed them a 5-0 lead.
A quick counter attack resulted in Jesse Willensky doubling UCT’s lead to 10-0. A quick tap just before the break was enough for Spihelele Buthelezi to pull it back to 10-5. A moment of magic by Thobekani Buthelezi during the Power Play handed UKZN a 15-10 lead early in the second half.
But another two Willensky tries meant a hat-trick for him and a 22-15 bonus-point win for UCT.
NWU 41-7 CUT
NWU were just too strong for CUT on Day Two. Tries by De Wet Terblanche, Buks Nel and JW Durr gave NWU a 19-0 lead at the break.
Just a minute in Jimmy Mpalane chased down a kick to extend their lead to 24-0 and secure a bonus point with a fourth try. Denver Klue pulled on back for Cut, but a Power Play try followed by a Gerhard Meyer try took NWU to 41-7.
Madibaz 12-28 UJ
UJ seemed to put the poor performances of Day One behind them as they defeat what has been a powerful Madibaz team.
Josiah Twum-Bofoa put in a fierce performance for Madibaz, but his two tries weren’t enough as the pace of Carlisle Jordaan and Ronald Brown carried UJ to a crucial 28-12 win.
Maties 29-7 UWC
UWC would eventually be beaten and it was to be against their Cape rivals Maties. In a replay of the 2016 Varsity 7s final, UWC were completely outplayed by the defending champions.
Maties made their intentions known from the first whistle as they opted to take their Power Play immediately and began the match as if it was the final two minutes of a Cup final. They scored within the first minute to take a 12-0 lead and it was all Maroon from there onwards.
UWC struggled to get a foothold and were soon 17-0 behind. Andre Manuel managed to pull one back for UWC but tries by Braam Venter and James Murphy took the score to 29-7 as Maties became the first side to defeat UWC in 2017.
