Tuks suffers surprising defeat against Pukke in Potch
The defending Varsity Cup champion, Tuks, fell back to sixth place on the 2022 tournament log after their defeat in Potchefstroom against the Pukke.
The Pukke from Potchefstroom showed on their home ground last night how unpredictable this year’s Varsity Cup tournament is, when they beat the defending champions, Tuks, 17-8 against expectations.
Andre Pretorius’s North-West team has struggled in this tournament so far this year and could only settle with the University of the Western Cape in the first three rounds.
On Monday night, however, they saved their best for their arch-enemy from Pretoria – as always – and with a dominant performance finally scored three tries against Tuks’ one.
Unfortunately, the Pukke’s dominance only started after another match was disfigured by a red card. In the first quarter Tuks took the fight to the Eagles in the trenches. They controlled the collisions and breakdowns, and repelled wave after wave of attack.
The nature of the contest changed, however, after Stefan Coetzee was shown a red card in the 20th minute. The Tuks fullback caught opposite number Heinrich Botha with a reckless challenge and the referee send him off.
The visitors put their bodies on the line during the 15-minute period of sanction. A change to the Eagles’ front row, however, boosted the hosts’ scrum to a telling degree.
The pressure began to tell. Ruben du Plessis powered through his opponent to force a tighthead. André Fouché showed good awareness and determination to translate that opportunity into a try. The Pukke, who had spurned several scoring chances, went to the break with a 7-3 lead.
The visitors’ hit back at the scrums in the second stanza. A sustained assault on the Eagles’ line culminated in a try for flank Divan Venter in the 56th minute.
The Eagles refused to give up, though. Reserve loose forward Gustav Erlank forced his way over the line to regain the lead for the hosts.
Another strong drive into opposition territory resulted in a spectacular finish by wing Naiden Jaarts. From there, the Eagles did enough to secure the win and deny the reigning champions a losing bonus point.
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