CUT beat UJ 27-26, while there were also Varsity Cup wins for Shimlas, NWU and Maties on Monday.
A dramatic third round of the competition started with the Bloemfontein university winning their first Varsity Cup match since February 2018 over a UJ side that has struggled under new head coach Dewey Swartbooi.
It looked set to be a regulation win for the men from Johannesburg when fullback Odwa Nkunjana, who claimed a brace, scored the opening try with just three minutes on the board.
However, CUT, boosted by the boot of flyhalf Heinrich Bitzi, who kicked 12 points, continued to stay in the match, with Anrich Alberts and No 8 Hardus Nel crossing for first-half tries.
54′ A penalty sees @cutfsonline edge into the lead and the home crowd goes wild!
FNB CUT 20 – 19 FNB UJ #RugbyThatRocks #Gees pic.twitter.com/3nUDkUwACb
— Varsity Cup (@varsitycup) February 18, 2019
A competitive second half saw Bitzi slot his second penalty before replacement hooker Ruben Cross went over to give the hosts the lead.
It was a stressful finish to the match for the CUT coaching staff as UJ wing Shaun Williams scored a seven-point try to make it a one-point game. However, CUT held out a late onslaught to claim an important win.
Meanwhile, NWU continued their fine start to the season with a 37-21 bonus-point victory over UWC, who are still winless.
Scenes in Bloem as @cutfsonline have beaten @UJ_Sport by just a single point in a see-saw battle! The home side pick up their first victory of the season.
FNB CUT 27 – 26 FNB UJ #RugbyThatRocks pic.twitter.com/saS1FgWaXu
— Varsity Cup (@varsitycup) February 18, 2019
The Potchefstroom side has now climbed to fourth place and has a game in hand over both Tuks and Maties, who occupy the top two spots on the log.
In other results, a 74th-minute try from scrumhalf Rewan Kruger gave Shimlas a 33-26 win against Wits in Johannesburg, while Maties hung on to beat rivals Tuks 26-24 in Pretoria.
REPORT: Maties survive Tuks scare
Varsity Cup results (Round 3):
CUT (27) – Tries: Anrich Alberts, Hardus Nel, Ruben Cross. Conversions: Heinrich Bitzi (3). Penalties: Bitzi (2).
UJ (26) – Tries: Odwa Nkunjana (2), Stephen Bhasera, Shawn Williams. Conversions: Jeanluc Cilliers (2).
Wits (26) – Tries: Cal Smid, CJ Conradie, Reynard Cronje, Ruan Cloete. Conversions: Kurt Webster (3).
Shimlas (33) – Tries: Jan George Rossouw, Henk Pretorious, Izak Burger, Marnus Boshoff, Rewan Kruger. Conversions: Lubabalo Dobela (4).
NWU (37) – Tries: Robert Hunt, Evardi Boshoff, Wandi Mazibuko, Louis van der Westhuizen, Wian Conradie. Conversions: Schalk Hugo (5).
UWC (21) – Tries: Juanre de Klerk (2), Tristan Leyds. Conversions: Keagan Fortune (2).
Tuks (24) – Tries: Etienne Janeke, Werner Fourie, Bart le Roux. Conversions: Tinus de Beer (3). Penalty: De Beer.
Maties (26) – Tries: Munier Hartzenberg, HJ Luus, Jordan Chait, Dan Jooste. Conversions: Chait (2).
Photo: Van Zyl Naude/Varsity Cup
