It was certainly not “Rugby That Rocks”, but in the end, Pukke scrapped their way to their first ever Varsity Cup title with a last-gasp 7-6 win over Maties in Stellenbosch on Monday night.
In a dramatic climax that took the game into the 90th minute, Pukke flank Marno Redelinghuys crashed over for the decisive try after a series of scrums and penalties on the Maties’ line.
The Stellenbosch University side conceded two yellow cards in the closing stages, with both halfbacks Christopher Smith and Remu Malan being sent off by referee Lourens van der Merwe for several ruck infringements.
But the intense pressure applied by the North-West University’s Pukke eventually told when outstanding captain and No 8 Jeandré Rudolph went on yet another pick-and-go off the back of the scrum, and Redelinghuys followed up by dotting down next to the posts.
Fullback Rhyno Smith knocked over the easy conversion to clinch Pukke’s maiden championship in coach Jonathan Mokuena’s first season in charge. It was also a case of third time lucky as they had lost in the final in the last two years.
But despite the exciting end to the game, it wasn’t a memorable one by any stretch of the imagination as the “finals rugby” fever gripped both teams, who packed away their normally free-flowing styles with kicking-dominated game plans that went against the very essence of varsity rugby.
Organisers of the Varsity Cup must be careful to avoid letting the tournament become “too professional”, as it was the enthralling, crowd-pleasing rugby of the past that made it essential viewing on a Monday night.
The ultimate advertisement for the beauty of the oval-ball game was UCT Ikey Tigers’ dramatic come-from-behind triumph in 2014 when they scored three tries in the last six minutes to break Pukke’s hearts in Potchefstroom.
The Ikeys’ vintage running rugby that year captured the imagination, and the same could almost also be said of the all-conquering Shimlas outfit of 2015.
But the quality of the play in 2016 has dropped substantially, and it was clearly evident on a perfect night at the Danie Craven Stadium in front of a boisterous 17 000-strong Stellenbosch crowd.
The electric atmosphere didn’t match the rugby dished up on the field as kick after kick was sent downfield, and the few times when either side chose to keep ball-in-hand, there was usually a knock-on that would scupper the move.
The best opportunity for a Maties try probably fell to fullback Craig Barry, who chased left wing Edwill van der Merwe’s kick ahead and hacked the ball forward. It looked like a clear passage to the tryline, but Barry knocked-on around Pukke’s 22-metre line.
But two Christopher Smith penalties in the second half gave Maties a 6-0 advantage, and the home side looked like they had done enough to win their fourth title under new coach Hawies Fourie.
However, Pukke nearly dotted down with two minutes to go, but TMO Shaun Veldsman ruled that the ball was lost forward over the line. Maties were awarded a five-metre scrum, and that is where Pukke applied the pressure for over 10 minutes until Redelinghuys’ match-winning touchdown.
Maties – Penalties: Christopher Smith (2).
Pukke – Try: Marno Redelinghuys. Conversion: Rhyno Smith (1).