The University of Pretoria (Tuks) rugby team proved this saying on Monday night when they beat the North-West University’s North West Eagles 31-3 in the Varsity Cup final at the Hillcrest Sports Campus in Pretoria. Pretoria Rekordreportsthat with this performance, Tuks made history. They are the first team to win the Varsity Cup six times.
They also did so in 2012, 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2022. The team’s journey over the past four years is like a sporting fairy tale. Last year, Tuks contested the Varsity Cup semi-final, and now they are champions again.
It can be predicted with almost certainty that what Tuks achieved will not happen again. Back to the principle of when the going gets tough, the tough get going. After the first 20 or so minutes of Monday night’s final, few would have tipped Tuks to win.
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The Eagles were dominating. In one of the first scrums, the Eagles pushed Tuks’ forwards metres back. Like slow poison, Tuks processed the pressure and then started to change things around.
The home team was leading 10-3 at halftime and never relented from then on. The way Tuks defended was brilliant. They put their shoulders onto the bodies of their opponents, forced turnovers at the breakdowns and slowed the ball down.
It led to the Eagles not getting the opportunities they wanted. In contrast, Tuks took points when they were available, as it should be done in a final. ‘Showing character’ is the phrase Tuks’ coach, Dewey Swartbooi, uses to describe his team’s on-field heroics. He emphasises that the Eagles are a formidable team, as they proved in the semi-final against Stellenbosch University (Maties).
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