In the first semi-final in Cape Town, hooker Sean Swart scored a hat-trick as FNB Maties hammered the FNB UCT Ikeys 58-19. Swart equalled FNB CUT hooker Janus Venter’s record for the most tries in a FNB Varsity Cup season (12) and was named the FNB Player That Rocks.
That award could have gone to the entire FNB Maties pack that dominated at scrum time or to flyhalf Nevaldo Fleurs, who was successful with eight of 10 goal kicks in windy conditions. The Ikey Tigers came into this semi-final as favourites, having beaten their arch-rivals 44-27 in the round seven clash at the Green Mile.
But their discipline let them down (they conceded 18 penalties), they lost the forward battle and they had just 38% of the possession. The hosts were reduced to 14 men after just 12 seconds of the match when inside centre Rethabile Louw took out an FNB Maties player in the air from the kick-off.
And the visitors made their numerical advantage count with a fifth-minute point-of- origin try. Wing Anton du Toit burst down the left touchline, handed off Suleiman Hartzenberg and found scrumhalf Thomas Bursey, whose inside pass put captain Gift Dlamini away.
No sooner had the Ikey Tigers been restored to their full complement of players than captain Luthando Woji scored a try next to the posts that was initially ruled a knock-on by the referee. Fortunately for the hosts, the TMO intervened. But FNB Maties regained the initiative when Swart scored from a lineout driving maul and fullback Sibabalwe Xamlashe dived over for a point-of-orgin try.
Fleurs slotted both conversions and a penalty to give the visitors a commanding 31-7 lead at half-time.
FNB UCT No 8 Taariq Kruger paid the price for repeated infringements by his team when he was yellow-carded early in the second half. Almost inevitably, FNB Maties kicked for the corner and Swart went over from the lineout driving maul. The Ikey Tigers scored while down to 14 men through flank Sipho Dyonase, before Swart completed his hat-trick.
FNB Maties lost lock Juan Beukes to the sin bin, but that didn’t prevent them from scoring another two tries to complete the rout. The Maroon Machine will contest their 10th FNB Varsity Cup final next Monday and be chasing a record-extending sixth title.
