Pukke, NMMU and UCT were all victorious in round five of the Varsity Cup on Monday, while Maties and Shimlas were deadlocked.

Wits 12 NMMU 18

The Madibaz got back to winning ways with a hard-fought victory over Wits in pouring rain in Johannesburg. Flank Christopher Cloete, outside centre Michael Bernardt and scrumhalf Daniel Acker crossed the line for NMMU, while inside centre Brent Crossley got over for the hosts. The Eastern Cape side scored on the stroke of full-time to secure the victory having led 13-12. Wits, for the second consecutive week, came close to notching their first-ever victory in the competition, but they remain rooted to the bottom of the table while the Madibaz moved up to fifth spot.

 UJ 29 UCT 37

An exciting game in a wet Johannesburg saw UCT emerge victorious over a determined UJ side. Right wing Richard Stewart, No 8 Vince Jobo, fullback Ross Jones-Davies, scrumhalf James Alexander and left wing Lihleli Xoli all crossed for Ikeys, who moved up to third on the log. Right wing PJ Walters scored two tries for UJ, with lock David Antonites and flyhalf Jaco van der Walt also getting over.

Tuks 0 Pukke 18

Pukke proved that they will be a force in the business-end of the competition with a comfortable win over defending champions Tuks in Pretoria that took them to top spot on the log. Hooker Armand van der Merwe and lock Francois Robbertse were try-scorers on the night, while inside centre Adriaan Engelbrecht kicked two penalties and a conversion.

Maties 13 Shimlas 13

Maties and Shimlas played out an exciting draw in windy conditions in Stellenbosch. Flyhalf Robert du Preez and scrumhalf Jean Nel were scorers for Maties, while Shimlas' tries came from tighthead prop Justin Pappin and right wing Maphuta Dolo. The wind played a major role at the Danie Craven Stadium as the visitors scored all of their points in the first half and Maties scored all of theirs in the second.

Varsity Shield results:

CUT 47 TUT 8
UKZN 32 UWC 33

Photo: Varsity Cup