While the side from Potchefstroom are no doubt the deserved winners of the Varsity Cup round four clash, it was also a matter of the Shimlas blowing the win.

Had the Shimlas performed better when it came to handling in their opponents 22, the score may well have been in excess of 50 points for the home side.

The Shimlas dominated the set-piece on the night, and Pukke was by far superior in their work on the ground, the defence and in converting their chances.

The visitors were the first draw blood when the winger, Pienaar van Niekerk, stepped neatly to dot down for a try which was converted by Schalk Hugo.

The lead lasted just six minutes when the replacement, Tiaan Schutte, crossed the white-wash less than 30 seconds after coming onto the park for the injured, debutant Keegan Hamman.

The men from Potchefstroom regained the lead at the break after the referee, Divan Uys, awarded them a penalty try in the 27th minute, and at the same time, he sent Janco Cloete to the sin-bin for deliberately collapsing the maul.

This saw Pukke leading the game 14-7 at the half time break.

In the 53rd minute, the Shimlas were dealt a major blow when the lock, Merwyn Roos, was shown a red card. Roos was given his marching orders for cleaning out on the head of his opponent. This while the home side was camping on the Pukke line.

After sustained pressure, the Pukke centre, Akhona Nela, crashed through the Shimlas defence to hand them a 12 point cushion, but this was reduced to nine points, when the flyhalf, Lubabalo Dobela, slotted a penalty.

Two minutes later Dobela blew a beautiful opportunity to score a try when he chipped over the Pukke defenders, but he knocked the ball with an open tryline. He did make up for his slip-up in the 63rd minute by slotting a penalty in to reduce the lead to 6 points.

The final nail in the Shimlas coffin came in the 77th minute when Pukke once again scored against the run off play, and this time with was the winger, Lungelo Gosa, who scored after collecting a cross-field penalty kick.

Scorers:

Shimlas: Try – Tiaan Schutte Conv. – Lubabalo Dobela Pen. – Dobela 2

Pukke: Tries – Pienaar van Niekerk, Penalty Try, Akhona Nela, Lungela Gosa Conv. – Schalk Hugo 2

@MorganPiek OFM Sport