Steenkamp hopes to lead Tuks to Varsity Cup success
Tuks’ experienced flanker and captain believes his team can once again bring the coveted Varsity Cup back to Pretoria.
UP-Tuks Captain, Ruan Steenkamp hopes that it will be a third time lucky when he leads the TuksRugby team in their Varsity Cup campaign this year.
This will be Steenkamp’s third Varsity Cup campaign and his second season as Captain and there is nothing more that he wants than to bring the trophy back to Tuks.
Steenkamp made his debut for Tuks in the 2015 Varsity Cup tournament. It did not take long for him to make his presence felt. In his second match appearance he impressed by scoring two tries which enabled Tuks to beat the defending Varsity Cup Champions, UCT Ikey Tigers by 39–24.
Unfortunately for him he suffered a serious injury which meant that he missed out on the rest of the Varsity Cup tournament.
Last year Steenkamp captained Tuks in their 2016 campaign. He is the first to admit that it was a season of definite highlights but also of some real disappointments. Tuks lost their first three encounters, but then fought themselves back into contention with four successive victories. Even putting on a ‘ton’ against the Ikeys beating them 100-25, but then Tuks ended up losing 49-11 in the semi-final against Maties.
When asked about what the fans can expect from Tuks, Steenkamp said: “Playing Varsity Cup is always a tough challenge but I honestly believe that we can go all the way and make our supporters proud.”
Steenkamp’s confidence sprouts from the fact that seven of last year’s forwards are still playing for Tuks.
“That is a big plus because we already know each other’s strength and weaknesses as teammates therefore we know what to expect from one another during pressure moments,” he explained.
Being the captain is nothing new to Steenkamp. It would not be wrong to say that he was born to lead. Steenkamp has been leading from the front for most of the teams that he has played for. The SA Schools, SA under-20, Blue Bulls under-19 as well as Blue Bulls under-21 are just some of the teams that he has captained.
Steenkamp has a no thrills approach to leading a team.
“I don’t believe in making bold predictions before a game, as I have learnt over the years that it is what happens on the field that will tell the real story in the end. I try to lead by example by giving a 100% each time I play.
Apart from giving Tuks fans a reason to be proud by winning matches Steenkamp sees the Varsity Cup competition as a stepping stone for young players who want to play professionally.
“Consistent good performances in the Varsity Cup could lead to players getting a call up to join Super Rugby franchises or to play provincial rugby. So my advice to any youngster making his debut in the series is to seize the opportunity,” he concluded.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord onFacebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
