Maties beat the NWU Eagles, while Tuks’ comeback win over Emeris took them back to the top of the Varsity Cup log on Monday night.
In a tense clash at the Danie Craven Stadium, Maties held off a spirited Eagles fightback to secure a 30-26 victory and strengthen their semi-final push.
The hosts had led by 15 points at half-time after a penalty try and hooker CJ Erasmus’ score.
But the Eagles roared back after the break, scoring twice in quick succession through lock Raniel Turner and a stunning point-of-origin score by centre Leejay Petersen to snatch a one-point lead.
The momentum continued to swing, with both sides trading tries in a frantic final quarter.
NUW led 26-23 with 12 minutes remaining, but with time running out, flank Louw du Toit came up with the decisive score to restore Maties’ lead. Flyhalf MC van Heerden slotted a difficult conversion in a gusting wind and Maties then held firm under late pressure to seal a statement win.
In Bloemfontein, Shimlas kept their semi-final hopes alive with a thrilling 40-33 bonus-point victory over defending champions UCT.
The hosts led narrowly at the break before opening up an 18-point advantage early in the second half.
UCT responded with two rapid point-of-origin tries to turn the contest on its head and briefly take the lead.
Kirwin du Preez turns on the afterburners
The Shimlas crowd loved this one
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But Shimlas refused to buckle, with replacement flank Ferdi Vergottini crashing over late before replacement hooker Jaco Bezuidenhout’s second maul try on the hooter sealed a vital win in a pulsating encounter.
Tuks returned to the top of the log after staging a comeback to beat Emeris 27-24 in Pretoria.
The hosts overturned a 12-point deficit, with hooker Jean Fourie scoring twice before captain Divan du Toit sealed the win.
In Bloemfontein, UJ strengthened their own push for the playoffs with a hard-fought 29-13 win over CUT in wet conditions. The visitors pulled away late with a flurry of tries to secure a bonus point.
There is one more round of fixtures before the semi-finals.
Varsity Cup Round 6 results
Tuks 27 Emeris 24
Maties 30 NWU 26
Shimlas 40 UCT 33
CUT 13 UJ 29
Photo: Luigi Bennett/Varsity Sports
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