Johannesburg was painted orange on Monday evening when FNB UJ claimed an important 32-24 win over FNB Wits at the Wits Rugby Stadium.
It was a crucial game for both teams, who were yet to secure a victory in this season’s campaign.
The match was intense from the start, with FNB Wits drawing first blood through lock Thomas Beling inside the first three minutes, though the conversion attempt went astray.
With the score at 5-0, the Orange Army had it all to do, and John Ford answered the call, breaking through from close range to level the score. Michail Damon converted his attempt to give his side a 7-5 lead. The next scoring action saw FNB Wits speedster Kevon Chirwa racing down the touchline to score a try, which some in the crowd thought was controversial.
However, it stood, with the conversion attempt going wide again, leaving Wits with a slender 10-7 lead at the break.
The second half saw a dominant display from FNB UJ, who came out firing. Too many errors from the home side let them down in crucial parts of the game. The visitors were able to run in four tries to the hosts’ two.
FNB Wits once again struggled to withstand mauls close to their try line, with FNB UJ scoring two tries courtesy of Kamo Molefe. In the end, FNB UJ claimed the city’s bragging rights and possibly a position in next season’s FNB Varsity Cup. It’s back to the drawing board for the Witsies, who will need to perform well in their remaining fixtures to avoid possible relegation.
Scorers:
FNB Wits: Tries: Thomas Beling, Joshua van Vreden, Kevon Chirwa, Thireque Apolles. Conversions: Matthew Coetzee.
FNB UJ: Tries: Kamo Molefe (2), Ughan Africa, John Ford, Sifiso Dlamini. Conversions: Alzeadon Felix, Michail Damon. Penalty: Michail Damon.
Teams:
FNB Wits: 1 Ricardo Brandao, 2 Dagan Meuwese, 3 Sibusiso Shongwe, 4 Thomas Beling, 5 Hayden Munnery, 6 Joshua van Vreden, 7 Thando Biyela, 8 Christopher Kachungunu, 9 Drew Bennet, 10 Matthew Coetzee, 11 Kevon Chirwa, 12 Kamohelo Ncunca, 13 Keith Chirwa, 14 Lindani Dweba, 15 Setshaba Mokoena (c). Replacements: 16 Justin Amos, 17 Thomas Meintjies, 18 Waldo Muller, 19 Joshua Ferreira, 20 Luke Cannon, 21 Sabelo Shangase, 22 Tireque Apolles, 23 Ngia Selengbe.
FNB UJ: 1 Damian Baker, 2 Ryan Marimo, 3 Ali Gqaza, 4 Neil Hansen, 5 Kamo Molefe, 6 Siyemukela Ndlovu (c), 7 Muzuva Gutu, 8 Dylan Viljoen, 9 Liam Rowan, 10 Alzeadon Felix, 11 Ughan Africa, 12 John Ford, 13 Adriano Jackson, 14 Sifiso Dlamini, 15 Michail Damon. Replacements: 16 Jarrad Jordaan, 17, Marnus Swarts, 18 Bian Janse Van Rensburg, 19 Jaden Baillie, 20 Reon Pretorius, 21 Berwyn Bosch, 22 Gregory Van Der Bank, 23 Oela Blaauw.
