The FNB UJ Orange Army are knocking on the semi-finals door after a hard-fought 29-13 victory over the FNB CUT Ixias in wet and unforgiving conditions at Ixia Park on Monday night.
The scoreline suggests a comfortable afternoon’s work for the visitors. The reality? This was a proper battle that hung in the balance until the final quarter, when UJ’s class and composure finally broke CUT’s stubborn resistance.
This victory represents a seismic shift in fortunes for a side that was fighting for their Varsity Cup lives in a promotion-relegation battle at the end of last season. Now they’re on the verge of their first semi-final appearance since 2019.
The Orange Army adapted better to the slippery conditions early on, with Francois Prinsloo crossing for the opening try. But the Ixias refused to fold, with Kehan Myburgh’s boot keeping them within touching distance as they trailed just 5-3 at the break in a tense, cagey first half.
Myburgh added another three-pointer shortly after the restart to edge the hosts ahead, a lead they clung to until the hour mark when JT Kapank darted over to wrestle back the initiative for UJ. Toy Engelbrecht then extended the advantage, but CUT showed real character to hit straight back through Jean-Louis Theron’s point-of-origin effort, suddenly closing the gap to a nerve-jangling two points.
With everything on the line and the game threatening to slip away, UJ showed the maturity and patience that’s defined their remarkable campaign. Late tries from Coun-Lee Koekman and Exauce Kevani sealed the bonus point and put gloss on a scoreline that hardly reflects how tight the contest really was.
For the Ixias, this was another frustrating outing, particularly at lineout time, where they battled badly to secure their own ball. That set-piece malfunction proved costly, especially inside the opposition 22 where they desperately needed to capitalise. With relegation now looming ominously, CUT face a season-defining showdown next week.
UJ interim head coach Therlow Pietersen was delighted with the result but admitted his side had underestimated the challenge.
“I think too many people, including some of our players, thought it was going to be a walkover. We spoke in our preview that they were going to be a difficult side to beat, especially at home. They really stayed in the fight,” Pietersen said.
“We were a bit frantic in the first half trying to force things. We just had to wait for opportunities in the second half. Kudos to our boys for their patience. It was tough, it tested our players’ character.”
The significance of the victory wasn’t lost on Pietersen either.
“We played promotion-relegation last year and now we’re in the hunt for a semi-final, so it’s all new for our players. First away win for us in this campaign. It’s the first time we have won back-to-back games as UJ since 2004, and the first time that UJ will hopefully be in the semi-final since 2019,” he said.
The Orange Army have completed a double over the Bloemfontein sides and now sit on the cusp of something special heading into the final round. For a team that narrowly avoided the drop less than a year ago, that’s nothing short of remarkable.
