Sol Plaatje University pulled off a last minute 33-39 victory over the University of Fort Hare in their Round 5 Varsity Shield 2025 match at Davidson Stadium on Friday.
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THE UNIVERSITY of Fort Hare Blues will definitely have the blues, while the Sol Plaatje University Gemmies will be pinching themselves, to convince themselves that they are not dreaming after their miraculous last-minute 33-39 Round 5 Varsity Shield win at the Davidson Stadium on Friday evening.
Yes, for sure, the Gemmies were there to play and their determination showed. But they were up against a determined and exceptionally skillful home team backed by enthusiastic, passionate fans cheering, singing, and shouting encouragement from the stands.
Because the visitors were switched on from the start, they were able to stun the Blues in the third minute when winger Liyabona Maplanga intercepted a pass and made a beeline to put Sol Plaatje on the board.
But the Blues came back, and came back in style as their backline absolutely carved the Gemmies defence to shreds with some intelligent running and excellent handling skills. And that was the flavour of the first half, neither team backing down and both teams giving their all on the attack.
The first half ended with the visitors 12-19 in the lead, and the second half saw the teams pick up where they left off in the first stanza.
As usual, that Gemmies man Khanya Kama kept the pressure on the hosts with his metronomic kicking, but it was in the 46th minute when Kama’s vision and brilliance shone the brightest.
A well-timed crossfield kick was lobbed into the hands of flyhalf Leslie Ruiters who – with a broad smile on his face – effortlessly did the rest.
However, SPU had to deal with a skillful and powerful UFH pack. The Blues dominated with powerful scrums, unstoppable mauls and a few spiteful line-out steals, and let us not miss out on a brilliant try by their hooker and skipper Bunono Jamani who broke through a gap and sprinted away for a try that stunned the visitors.
As a result, UFH were cruising to their first win of the competition with just one minute on the clock. However, what they didn’t take into account was that SPU had learned from earlier mistakes.
The Gemmies had learned that giving up and accepting defeat only ensures defeat, so they did the opposite, they dug deep and with the hosts on the attack leading 33-32, and with the home supporters singing victory songs, the visitors turned over possession inside their own half and Jaden Faviers scored his second try of the night, sending his teammates and the bench into wild celebrations, and the stands at the Davidson Stadium into a stunned, heartbroken silence.
This win could be the boost that SPU needed to get their campaign back on track. But even more valuable for the team will be the lessons learned from the seasoned hosts who showed the new kids on the block that they still have a few chinks in their armour.
SPU have retained their fifth spot on the log, and now turn their focus to their next encounter at the Madibaz Stadium on Friday at 4pm.
SCORERS
FNB UFH: 33 (12)
Tries: Majali Lakheni, Siyamthanda Sakhela, Bunono Jamani (2).
FNB SPU: 39 (19)
Tries: Liyabona Maplanga, Dwayne Lubbe, Jaiden Faviers (2), Leslie Ruiters.
FNB Player that Rocks: Khanya Kama (FNB SPU).
Other Round 5 results:
FNB WSU 14-36 FNB Madibaz
FNB CPUT 17-40 FNB Varsity College
FNB UWC 44-31 FNB UKZN
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