FNB UWC Women run riot as Round 3 delivers FNB Varsity Cup Women fireworks

FNB UWC Women delivered a dominant performance, running in 11 tries to thrash FNB Maties Women at Danie Craven Stadium in Round 3 of the FNB Varsity Cup Women on Friday. At UJ Stadium, FNB UJ Women secured their first win of the campaign with a hard-fought 24-20 victory over FNB UKZN Women. Meanwhile, FNB UP-Tuks Women held their nerve to withstand a late surge from FNB UFH Women, sealing a thrilling comeback win at Davidson Stadium.

FNB Maties Women 0-77 FNB UWC Women

FNB UWC Women were in red-hot form when they travelled to FNB Maties for their third-round clash in the FNB Women’s Varsity Cup that ended in a massive victory. The hosts harboured hopes of registering their first win of the season in a local Western Cape derby while their visitors were looking to build on their second-round success over FNB UJ.

UWC asserted their dominance from the first whistle in Stellenbosch after opening the scoring inside three minutes. Their front-footed approach saw them add two more tries in the opening 15 minutes giving Stellies a mountain to climb. Davedine March grabbed her second of the afternoon on the stroke of half-time which was her side’s second Point of Origin score, as they went into the break with a 24-0 lead.

March kicked off the second period like she ended the first by crossing the whitewash to seal her hat-trick seven minutes after the restart. The UWC winger continued to run riot with her fourth score of the match just two minutes later, giving her side a 38-0 lead with just under 26-minutes to play.

The visitors had no intentions of resting on their laurels as March continued to cause the Maroon Machine all sorts of problems. The speedy left winger set up Saadiqah Corbett for UWC’s seventh try well-before the hour mark with Maties wilting under relentless Udubs pressure.

Qaqamba Ngqabalala came off the bench to apply the finishing touches to another brilliant move by March that started in her own 22.

The visitors were reduced to 14-players just before the hour mark with Amahle Plaatjies seeing red for direct head contact with force after diving into the ruck. That did little to slow UWC down as Mivuyo Pawuli dotted down before Ronecia Gordon scored her second before the final whistle for an emphatic 77-0 victory at Danie Craven.

FNB UFH Women 12-18 FNB Tuks Women

FNB UFH Women hosted FNB UP-Tuks Women in a thrilling encounter, with the visitors making a strong start. Tuks opened the scoring with a well-worked point-of-origin try as Anele Mgwazela showed great pace to break through the UFH defence from inside her own half. Abigail de Jager added the conversion to give Tuks an early lead.

The away side maintained their momentum and went into the strategy break leading 9-0. Tuks were clinical and moved the ball well, while UFH struggled to gain momentum despite solid defensive efforts. The home side had opportunities to score but were let down by costly mistakes, particularly inside the opposition 22.

Tuks capitalised on these errors when Lidene Kruger reacted quickly to a loose ball inside her own half and raced clear to score another Point of Origin try. De Jager converted once again, giving the visitors a commanding 18-0 lead at half-time.

UFH came out strongly in the second half after making early substitutions. Their pressure paid off in the 44th minute when Litha Tofu powered over the try line following sustained attack inside the FNB UP-Tuks 22. She successfully converted her own try to close the gap to 18-7.

The try lifted UFH, who began to apply consistent pressure on the FNB UP-Tuks defence. With just minutes remaining, Sioyolise Mbilase finished well on the wing to score UFH’s second try, keeping the home side in contention.

Tuks were reduced to 14 players late in the match after Sibulele Ngcana was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle. Despite UFH’s strong second-half performance, they were unable to fully overturn the deficit.

Tuks’ early dominance and clinical finishing ultimately proved decisive in a closely contested match, with both teams showing great determination and quality throughout.

FNB UJ Women 24-20 FNB UKZN Women

FNB UJ Women picked up their first victory in this year’s FNB Varsity Cup Women after edging FNB UKZN at the UJ Stadium on Friday.

The hosts came into the match on the back of a loss against FNB UWC, while UKZN had defeated FNB UFH. It was a slow start to the match and things opened in the 13th minute.

A moment of magic by UKZN captain, Snethemba Mzimela saw her crash over for her side’s first.

It was an arm wrestle after that but UJ’s persistence was rewarded when Salizwa Tyali got on the end of a Point of Origin try to tie matters at 7-7 at half-time.

UJ started the second stanza brightly and were awarded a penalty try in the 41st minute. FNB UKZN had to play for 10 minutes with 13 players after yellow cards to Neo Mokwena and Bokamoso Makali but that didn’t dampen their spirits.

The girls from KZN pulled a try back courtesy of Hlekani Baloyi. It was end-to-end stuff after that and UKZN slotted over two penalties but UJ fought back. The hosts scored twice through Hlobisile Mbatha to seal a dramatic late win.