Tuks’ Varsity Cup woes continue
Tuks, the defending Varsity Cup champion, is in deep trouble after three consecutive defeats in this year's tournament.
The Ixias, rugby team of the Central University of Technology (CUT), pulled off another sensational win in the 2023 Varsity Cup with a hard-fought 41-39 victory over defending champions Tuks.
This victory last night in Bloemfontein by the Ixias meant back-to-back victories for the team that can no longer be considered a pushover, while for Tuks the alarm bells will be ringing as it was their third straight defeat.
Tuks winger Zander Reynders opened the scoring but the home team struck back two minutes later with a try by Jandré de Beer, who was later name the Player that Rocks.
Photo: Hannes Naudé/Asem Engage
For the rest of the first half, it was a see-saw battle with Ulrich Stander dotting down for CUT and Ethan Burger and Zenzile Ambesa for Tuks, giving the visitors a 23-16 lead at the halftime break.
In the second 40 minutes, the home team managed to outmuscle the defending champions thanks to two tries by Francois Bester and another one by Daniel Venter.
This led to the Ixias taking a slender 41-39 lead, and from there it was a matter of defending like crazy for the final ten minutes, which they successfully managed to do.
Tuks’ challenges are not getting any easier in this year’s tournament.
Photo: Hannes Naudé/Asem Engage
Coming Monday they will play against Pukke, who are right at the top of the standings. The only positive aspect of this fixture is that it takes place on Tuks’ home ground.
The week after, however, the defending champion must travel to Stellenbosch to face Maties on their home ground in a repeat of last year’s final.
So, if Tuks don’t come up with a plan quickly and drastically improve their level of play, they could soon still be winless after five games.
From whatever angle one looks at this situation, it is clear that Tuks have problems and are currently in deep trouble in this tournament.
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