FNB Wits Captain Ebot Buma Confident of Turnaround As Varsity Cup Semis Edge Closer

• Wits still have their eye on the prize after a nail-biting encounter that ended 29-25 in favour of rivals UJ in the fifth round of the 2022 FNB Varsity Cup
• In a match played in rainy weather conditions, UJ put on a determined display to get their campaign back on track, having suffered three previous defeats
• Wits captain Ebot Buma spoke exclusively to Sports Brief on the entertaining Joburg derby, a result from which they hope to bounce back soon

Wits captain Ebot Buma is confident of a resurgence for the Johannesburg-based university after falling short at the death to slump to a 29-24 defeat against local rivals UJ in the fifth round of the year's FNB Varsity Cup tournament.

In a game fated to produce end to end stuff from minute one at a rainy UJ Stadium, the hosts made good on the pressure to get their campaign back on track after suffering three defeats from their opening four encounters.

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This saw the FNB UJ bossing the scrums and breakdowns on the way to closing out the first half with their noses 17-3 in front, with co-captain for the tournament, Johannes Terblanche, at his destructive best on the ground.

FNB Wits showed enough grit at the start of the second stanza for fullback Setshaba Mokoena to cross the whitewash as the visiting side began to build some early momentum.

Powering forward again to dismantle the opponents' defence, before flyhalf Chris Humphries delivered the goods with his right foot to level the scores – Mokoena showed his class to create the second try scored through forward Phillip Krause.

Try number three by outside centre Luhle Matyolweni then pushed the visitors into the lead more than halfway into the second half. But the tide swung the Orange Army's way as the hosts held their nerve to complete a magnificent win over Wits and, in the process, secure the bragging rights as the Kings of Joburg.

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"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 the 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 does little to derail the 2018 semi-finalists, who remain eager to reach the knock-out 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.

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"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 cliche 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. At the end of the day, we hope to make the Wits faithful proud."

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Elsewhere, Sports Brief recently reported that the pressure was on FNB UJ to deliver – and deliver they did against their Johannesburg rivals.

The hosts bossed the scrums and the breakdowns – with co-captain Johannes Terblanche enjoying a big game on the ground. They converted several attacking chances in wet and challenging conditions and showed remarkable fortitude on defence.

FNB Wits were competitive at the lineout, though, and managed to build some momentum in the second stanza. Fullback Setshaba Mokoena breached the hosts’ defence and was also involved in the visitors’ second try, which was eventually finished by No 8 Phillip Krause.