As predicted, Maties’ Maroon Machine is flying at the moment and it’s tough to see anyone stopping them from reclaiming the Western Province Super League A trophy this year.
After losing out to False Bay last season, Maties had a rather late start to the current season.
Only once their duties in the Varsity Cup were done and Western Province had claimed the SuperSport Challenge, did Maties really enter the fray.
The most successful team by far in WP’s rugby history again proved why they are so feared.
Under coach Hawies Fourie the team has really excelled.
Let’s start with their 143-5 win over Pniel Villagers – it’s a score that would have made our arme Proteas happy on their recent tour of
England. Jokes aside though, these Maties don’t play games.
In that match, Maties scored an unthinkable 21 tries, with Ernst Stapelberg adding 53 of his team’s 143 points.
Then they faced Durbell this past weekend.
The men from Durbanville probably wished Maties had spent all their krag on the league’s bottom dwellers.
It wasn’t the case and they scored nine tries to win 69-11.
The students took running rugby to a whole new level and produced the sort of game any other team in South Africa would have been proud of.
Their first two tries came from moves on the halfway mark, while they scored their third off a Durbell error in the Maties half.
The students won the loose ball and ran the Durbell defence stukkend.
That set the platform for a superb display and also reminded everyone that Maties are still the team to beat in Western Province.
Their fourth try proved that not only do they have the running game with their backs’ interplay being top notch, but they have the firepower up front as well.
With it being Durbell’s feed, Maties won a heel against the head and from there it was yet another five-pointer for the visitors.
Fans hoping for a more competitive match had better make their way to Green Point on Saturday.
It’s there where Maties will cross swords with Hamiltons in a match that shouldn’t be so one-sided.
Coming off a bye, Hammies will push hard to win a place in this year’s Gold Cup.
And if they can spring a surprise against a team that has champions written all over them, they will be in with a big chance.
The other big game this weekend takes place at Parow.
It’s here where hosts NTK will look to open up a gap over their visitors in terms of the relegation battle.
Primrose, currently second from bottom, can’t afford to lose this game and if they do, automatic relegation along with Pniel is virtually a
certainty.
As for Parow, a win will not push them to safety but will in all likelihood prevent automatic relegation.
PS: congrats again to the guys at UniMil for yet another giant-killing act as they got the better of Vics last weekend.
SUPER LEAGUE A
Team P W L D BP Pts
False Bay 13 11 1 1 385 58
Stellenbosch 10 10 0 0 563 49
Hamiltons 12 9 2 1 307 48
Tygerberg 12 8 4 0 134 42
Durbell 13 8 5 0 62 41
UCT 11 7 4 0 -1 35
UniMil 11 7 4 0 -7 35
UWC 10 5 5 0 -24 28
Victorians 10 4 6 0 62 26
Belhar 13 5 8 0 -161 26
Brackenfell 11 4 7 0 -71 21
SK Walmers 10 3 7 0 -175 17
Ntk 11 2 9 0 -203 12
Primrose 11 1 10 0 -230 7
Pniel Villagers 12 0 12 0 -641 0
SLA fixtures
Vics v SK Walmers
Pniel Villagers v Brackenfell
Parow NTK v Primrose
Hamiltons v Maties
Durbell v UWC
Belhar v UniMil
SLA results
Vics 30 UniMil 31
Tygerberg 40 Primrose 22
Durbell 11 Maties 69
Brackenfell 10 False Bay 43
Belhar 27 UWC 41
TOP OF THE CLASS: Stellenbosch
MASTER: Ernst Stapelberg