Tuks gearing up for Varsity football

UP-Tuks are the overwhelming favourites to win the 2021 Varsity Football title which kicks off this Wednesday.

Varsity Football competition will take place in a bio-bubble at the University of Pretoria.

UP-Tuks are the most successful team in the history of the competition, with three titles, and they boast five players from AmaTuks’ GladAfrica Championship team in their Varsity Football squad.

Tuks also had the ideal preparation for the tournament by taking part in the South African Breweries regional league earlier this year, with 94% of the players who participated there in their Varsity Football squad.

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Tuks’ Regional League statistics make for good reading; they lost just once in 18 matches, scoring a whopping 39 goals and conceding just nine. If that performance is anything to go by, their Varsity Football opponents are set for a torrid time trying to contain them.

However, Tuks head coach Nic Stothard does not want to dwell on that and is fully focused on the opening match of their Varsity Football campaign against TUT on Wednesday.

“We are under no illusions about playing TUT, it is going to be tough. They are a team that never gives up,” he said.

“But we have confidence in our abilities and we have five AmaTuks players, who will add quality and value to our team. They will be instrumental in attack. I believe we will score many goals during the tournament while we continue to keep it tight at the back,” said Stothard.

Stothard, who took charge of the team at the beginning of the year, believes their biggest strength is actually their defence.

“I am a firm believer that if you don’t concede goals, you can’t lose,” he said.

Last week, Stothard made his team play 90 minutes every second day to experience the pressure of a tightly contested tournament.

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