Wits make strong & early start
FNB Wits went up against the FNB TUT Vikings - at Wits - in a pre-season fixture for the 2012 Varsity Cup competitions. Two matches were played last week as the club's first and second teams met.
One of the challenges on the night was definitely to get use to the new points system of three points for a conversion and two points for drop-goals and penalties.
I only started getting used to it by half-time of the first match!
Well done to the Varsity Cup Exco for making the game more exciting. It definitely did make a difference when it came to decision-making of kicking for goal or going for the corner. Going for the corner was the favourite option on the evening.
In the first match between the two second teams, FNB TUT had too much firepower and won the game against a very confident Wits team - the final score was 32-21 to TUT.
In the main match, meanwhile, Wits sprinted into a 21-8 half-time lead, with Wits' tries coming from captain Rory Anderson, speedster Riaan Arends and scrumhalf Brent Crossley. Kyle Peyper converted two of the three tries.
TUT did respond with a converted try through their flyhalf. (Yes, 21-8 and my maths is not wrong. Remember it is eight points for a converted try!)
In the second half Wits scored two more converted tries and a penalty and TUT scored two converted tries to make the final score 39-24 to Wits. The new faces in the Wits team - like centre Bronson Lange, replacement scrumhalf Thapelo Thupe, prop Oliver Rochet and openside flanker Thato Mavundla - all had solid games.
FNB Wits will keep on training until Thursday, December 15 and then the squad goes on a break and will return early in January 2012.
On Saturday, January 14, 2012 Wits will travel to Pretoria to face Varsity Cup finalists, FNB Tuks, at the LC de Villiers Stadium prior to their first 2012 Varsity Shield fixture against FNB CUT in Bloemfontein on Monday, January 30.
By Quintin van Rooyen
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