FNB Varsity College Comets lock Garren Muller (pictured with ball) collects a line-out during the Comets’ 28-13 FNB Varsity Shield victory over the FNB UFH Blues in Alice on Thursday
Image: ASEM ENGAGE/VARSITY CUP
Durban team FNB Varsity College put in a clinical second half performance to claim an important 28-13 bonus point victory over the FNB UFH Blues in Alice, Eastern Cape on Thursday evening, March 6.
The Comets were slow to start the match and had to rely on another second half surge to get themselves over the line against the UFH Blues that piled on the pressure in the early stages of the game. The home side, buoyed by the support of the local crowd, made all the play in the opening stages of the match, however, the Comets managed to keep them at bay for the first 15 minutes.
Blues scrumhalf, Sinalo Jivana, put them ahead with a penalty just before the end of the first quarter of the match.
The home crowd then had another reason to cheer when hooker Bunano Jamani powered over from a strong driving maul after 21 minutes.
Jivana knocked over the conversion to give them a 10-0 lead.
The Comets were dealt a big blow when outside centre Anwill Prins was red carded for a dangerous tackle just short of the 30 minute mark.
It was all Blues in the first half with another penalty coming from the boot of Jivana, just shy of the half-time whistle which gave the home side a solid 13-0 lead at the break.
Without the assistance of the wind in the second half the Comets kept the ball in hand. That paid dividends as a sweeping move from the backline saw AB Mthembu snipe down the blindside to score after 43 minutes.
Drico Marx nailed a difficult conversion which got the Comets back into the game and they never looked back from there. Just five minutes later Jacques Marais barged over from close range to rack up yet another try to his impressive tally in the Varsity Shield. Marx added the other two points to give the Comets the lead for the first time in the match.
It was now all Comets and they were interlinking well between backs and forwards, and another strong build up led to Chandler Green going over for his second try of the competition. Marx once again was on target from the tee to give the Comets a 21-13 lead after 59 minutes.
The match went back and forth for a large portion of the final quarter as both teams chased points for different reasons. The Comets were chasing the bonus point while the Blues were trying to force their way back into the match.
Ultimately it was the Comets who scored last with Marais scoring his second try of the night with four minutes to go. It was a critical moment for the Comets who would have been happy to hit the four try threshold.
Marx completed a blemish-free night from the tee with the final conversion to put the seal a dominant performance where the Comets kept the hosts scoreless in the second half. The result takes the Comets to the summit of the log for the meantime with the other three matches to come on Friday.
Next week the Comets are back on the road, they will take on FNB CPUT in the Western Cape.