The unbeaten FNB Maties claimed a 37-15 victory over FNB UCT in their all-Cape Varsity Cup derby in Cape Town on Monday afternoon.
Whilst the scoreline depicts a big Maties victory, the unbeaten and table-topping Men in Maroon were made to work hard for their fifth successive win of the 2013 season.
UCT led 15-13 at one stage in the second half but the visitors showed their class to, first, overhaul their opponents and then extend their lead in that crucial final quarter.
In other big Round Five news, FNB NMMU caused a major upset when they downed FNB UJ in Port Elizabeth.
The Eastern Cape side maintained their unbeaten record at home this season with a hard-fought 20-13 victory over a competitive UJ side to move into fourth position on the standings.
The defeat saw UJ drop down to third place, with their single bonus point not enough to keep them above FNB UP-Tuks who cruised to a comfortable 52-0 win over FNB Wits in Pretoria.
In Bloemfontein, meanwhile, FNB UFS-Shimlas secured their second win by scoring five tries against FNB NWU-Pukke to secure a 38-18 victory in front of their home fans.
The bonus-point win will come as welcome relief for the Free State side after a run of three consecutive defeats. NWU-Pukke, on the other hand, have dropped out of the top four.
FNB CUT kept up their unbeaten record in the 2013 Varsity Shield with a 49-40 victory over FNB UWC in an entertaining clash in Bellville which saw 12 tries, four yellow cards and one red card.
The Men from UWC fought back strongly in the second half but were unable to avoid their first home defeat of the year.
In Pietermaritzburg, FNB UKZN did the season double over the TUT Vikings when they held on for a tense 10-9 victory over the former Varsity Cup team. UKZN, who have now won four matches, moved into second place on the standings in the process.
In the FNB Varsity Young Guns competition there were comfortable victories for last year’s finalists, Maties and UP-Tuks, whilst UJ and UFS-Shimlas came away with tight wins.
UP-Tuks, the defending champions, romped to a resounding 114-0 victory over Wits in Pretoria, and Maties brushed off UCT who they beat 45-8.
UJ were pushed all the way by NMMU in Port Elizabeth and managed to hang on for a 34-31 win, and there was an identical scoreline in Bloemfontein where UFS-Shimlas edged NWU-Pukke.
Finally, in the solitary Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships game on Monday, UCT’s Steinhoff Cobras got their season off to a solid start with a 34-29 win against Steinhoff Bastion from UJ.