Wits confident of turnaround as FNB Varsity Cup semis edge closer
- Tshepiso Mametela
Wits still have their eye on the prize after a slim 29-25 defeat to rivals UJ in the fifth round of the 2022 FNB Varsity Cup on Monday, 14 March 2022.
Wits captain and right prop Ebot Buma believes a resurgence for the Braamfontein side is on the cards, with the minor setback against their neighbours doing little to derail their campaign efforts.
This is as the team showed enough grit at the start of the second stanza, after going into the halftime break trailing the match 17-3, for fullback Setshaba Mokoena to cross the whitewash for the blue and yellow's first try.
Powering forward again to dismantle the opponents' defence, Mokoena created the second try scored brilliantly through forward Phillip Krause before flyhalf Chris Humphries delivered the goods with his right foot to level the scores 17-all.
Try number three by outside centre Liyema Matyolweni then pushed the visitors into the lead with 20 minutes remaining in the contest. In the end, the hosts held their nerve to complete the win over their city rivals and, in the process, secure the bragging rights.
"Not the result we wanted, but we take it on the chin, and we move. There were a couple of positives, especially the character shown by the lads to fight back in the second half," said Buma, speaking on the sidelines of an enthralling Joburg derby.
"What worked for us was bringing physicality, our lineout defence, although we could've been a lot better in terms of our set-pieces, including our scrum – we gave away quite a few penalties in our scrummaging. But that's something I and the rest of the front row need to fix."
Buma said the outcome will do anything but deter the 2018 semi-finalists, who remain eager to reach the knockout stage of the annual inter-university spectacle. The side next clashes with an FNB UWC outfit they know all too well after Wits' emphatic 40-10 triumph recorded in the first round of the 2020 edition at the UWC Stadium.
"That is still what we're aiming for, which makes the rest of the fixtures a lot more crucial. But coming into this game, one could say there was pressure solely because it was a Joburg derby," said the skipper ahead of the preparations for the upcoming humdinger.
"As cliché as it may sound, we just have to go back to the drawing board and analyse UWC's fixtures and figure out a game plan for when we play them. In the end, we hope to make the Wits proud."