The Walter Sisulu University All Blacks will be by far the happiest of the three Eastern Cape teams after the 2018 Varsity Shield competition crossed the halfway mark on Monday night.
The All Blacks currently sit in second place on the log on 14 points, having won three games and lost one so far and, with two games of the group stages remaining, have a good chance of sealing a home semifinal.
“We set the goal at the start of the season that we want to make sure we get a home semifinal. Then we can play in front of our home fans who are wonderful, and then take the final as it comes,” said All Blacks coach, Sipho Metula.
“Each and every day we tell ourselves that we must take each game as it comes. But we also know we need to get maximum points, so to get three wins in a row is great for us.”
In the match against fierce rivals the University of Fort Hare Blues this past Monday, the All Blacks just managed to edge a very exciting game 20-16 that saw the lead change twice in the final 10 minutes.
Despite only four tries and a penalty try being scored on the day, it was still a thrilling spectacle that entertained a packed crowd that filled up the BCM Stadium to at least 80%, if not more.
“It was a big one. We all knew during the week during our preparation that this game would be like this, that it would go to the wire, and that is what happened,” said Metula.
“Fort Hare really came at us in the second half and we managed to absorb the pressure, and then we showed strong minds to make sure of the win.”
It was in the 71st minute that the visiting Blues deservedly took the lead for the first time in the game, after a strong second half performance that had the home team on the backfoot throughout.
However, with just a tiny one-point advantage, it was always going to be in jeopardy, and so it proved as straight from the kick-off the All Blacks found a second wind and powered up the other end to set-up an unstoppable rolling maul that rumbled over for the winning unconverted try.
“I don’t even have words to describe the emotions. All I know is the team formed a brotherhood on the field today and it feels like we won the final, so we are ecstatic,” said WSU captain, Phumlani Blaauw.
“What we have been building over the season is our character, and the boys showed it tonight (Monday). We had to dig deep, and in the end the massive character of this team came through, and it bodes well for the rest of the competition.”
Despite the loss, their second of the competition along with only one win, the Blues still hold their destiny in their own hands as they sit fourth on the log on seven points, thanks to picking up a losing bonus point in both losses and a bonus point win in their only victory.
They thus still have a good opportunity to make the semis, with three games still remaining.
“I think we are still well in with a chance of making the semifinals. Even though we have not won as many games as we would have liked, we have managed to come away with a point from every match so far, which has been very important,” said Blues coach, Lumumba Currie.
“It was a good performance from our boys (against WSU). I am proud of them. They left everything on the field and they gave it their best shot.
“We just need to bounce back now and I feel luck will be on our side very soon.”
The other Eastern Cape team in the competition, Rhodes University, went down heavily to the University of KwaZulu-Natal Impi, 48-0, in Grahamstown.
It was Rhodes’ fourth loss in a row and effectively means they are out of the semifinal running as it would need an improbable series of results for them to sneak in, so they will be playing mainly for pride over their last two games.
All Blacks brotherhood wins the day
The All Blacks currently sit in second place on the log on 14 points, having won three games and lost one so far and, with two games of the group stages remaining, have a good chance of sealing a home semifinal.
“We set the goal at the start of the season that we want to make sure we get a home semifinal. Then we can play in front of our home fans who are wonderful, and then take the final as it comes,” said All Blacks coach, Sipho Metula.
“Each and every day we tell ourselves that we must take each game as it comes. But we also know we need to get maximum points, so to get three wins in a row is great for us.”
In the match against fierce rivals the University of Fort Hare Blues this past Monday, the All Blacks just managed to edge a very exciting game 20-16 that saw the lead change twice in the final 10 minutes.
Despite only four tries and a penalty try being scored on the day, it was still a thrilling spectacle that entertained a packed crowd that filled up the BCM Stadium to at least 80%, if not more.
“It was a big one. We all knew during the week during our preparation that this game would be like this, that it would go to the wire, and that is what happened,” said Metula.
“Fort Hare really came at us in the second half and we managed to absorb the pressure, and then we showed strong minds to make sure of the win.”
It was in the 71st minute that the visiting Blues deservedly took the lead for the first time in the game, after a strong second half performance that had the home team on the backfoot throughout.
However, with just a tiny one-point advantage, it was always going to be in jeopardy, and so it proved as straight from the kick-off the All Blacks found a second wind and powered up the other end to set-up an unstoppable rolling maul that rumbled over for the winning unconverted try.
“I don’t even have words to describe the emotions. All I know is the team formed a brotherhood on the field today and it feels like we won the final, so we are ecstatic,” said WSU captain, Phumlani Blaauw.
“What we have been building over the season is our character, and the boys showed it tonight (Monday). We had to dig deep, and in the end the massive character of this team came through, and it bodes well for the rest of the competition.”
Despite the loss, their second of the competition along with only one win, the Blues still hold their destiny in their own hands as they sit fourth on the log on seven points, thanks to picking up a losing bonus point in both losses and a bonus point win in their only victory.
They thus still have a good opportunity to make the semis, with three games still remaining.
“I think we are still well in with a chance of making the semifinals. Even though we have not won as many games as we would have liked, we have managed to come away with a point from every match so far, which has been very important,” said Blues coach, Lumumba Currie.
“It was a good performance from our boys (against WSU). I am proud of them. They left everything on the field and they gave it their best shot.
“We just need to bounce back now and I feel luck will be on our side very soon.”
The other Eastern Cape team in the competition, Rhodes University, went down heavily to the University of KwaZulu-Natal Impi, 48-0, in Grahamstown.
It was Rhodes’ fourth loss in a row and effectively means they are out of the semifinal running as it would need an improbable series of results for them to sneak in, so they will be playing mainly for pride over their last two games.
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