The Maties men’s rugby team beat the University of Johannesburg (UJ) team at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) rugby tournament, and claimed the victory for the second year in a row.
This was according to Gift Dlamini, captain of the Maties men’s rugby team.
Maties beat UJ 32 to 19 in the USSA final on 12 July, said Clement Trout, general secretary for USSA rugby.
“Being back-to-back champions just shows that Maties is committed throughout the whole year,” said Waqar Solaan, a centre for Maties rugby.
The Maties men’s rugby team faced off against the University of Johannesburg team in the University Sports South Africa (USSA) tournament finals and clinched the tournament victory for the second consecutive year, said Gift Dlamini, captain of Maties men’s rugby team. PHOTO: Supplied/Waqar Solaan
Maroon Machine vs Orange Army
The first half of the game was tough, according to Dlamini. “With a team like UJ, they’re quite physical. They forced a lot of errors from us in the first half,” said Dlamini.
Maties led 12 to 7 at halftime, but it was only in the second half where they were able to secure a more comfortable lead, said Dlamini.
“We scored two back-to-back tries that helped us increase the lead,” said Dlamini. “UJ are not a team to go down that easily,” stated Dlamini. Maties were able to secure the win in the end though, he added.
“[Winning] felt great! We came here with the main goal [to win] and to have achieved the main goal just gives us such great confidence going into the club season,” said Solaan.
The Maties men’s rugby team performed the most consistently throughout the University Sports South Africa (USSA) tournament and their win was well deserved, stated Clement Trout, general secretary for University Sports South Africa (USSA) rugby. PHOTO: Hannah Theron
USSA Highlights
USSA was the first tournament the Maties men’s rugby team played with their newly appointed head coach, Kabamba Floors, he said. “The win really means a lot to me [since I’m] just starting off my career as head coach,” said Floors.
“USSA is an important competition for Maties Sport,” said Drikus Hancke, head of rugby at Maties Sport, in written correspondence with SMF News.
“[USSA] is about the development of players and giving players the opportunity to showcase how we have developed our skills,” said Solaan.
“The players played with a lot of confidence,” said Drikus Hancke, head of rugby at Maties Sport. “The team and management enjoyed every moment and you could see it come through in the way that the team played.” PHOTO: Supplied/Waqar Solaan
USSA took place from 8 to 12 July at IIE Varsity College in Durban, and 24 different institutions competed in the tournament, stated Trout.
Maties played three matches during the tournament and “had a tough draw, playing three good opponents [UJ, University of Pretoria and North-West University]”, stated Hancke.
“The highlight for me was the character that the team showed. They played for each other and put their bodies on the line in each match,” said Hancke.
The final scores from the three games Maties played at University Sports South Africa (USSA). GRAPHIC: Hannah Theron