Tuks players admit that their performance on Monday night in the Varsity Cup encounter against UJ was far from perfect.

But they achieved a bonus point victory, which is all that matters. When the referee’s whistle blew for the final time, the score was Tuks 39 and UJ 29.

The result means that Tuks and Maties are the only two unbeaten teams in the competition. Both have 10 log-points after two games.

The Jukskei derby did not disappoint, drawing a packed crowd at Tuks Stadium. The Tuks captain, Dillon Smith, sought a more clinical performance.

“We don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” he remarked after the game.

Co-captain and skilled halfback Chad-Lee Valentine noted that their performance was somewhat “scrappy” and acknowledged that they, as players, need to improve on many technical things in the build-up to next week’s game against UCT in Cape Town.

“Tonight, we will enjoy our team victory before regrouping for the next game,” Valentine added.

According to Valentine, one of the most outstanding aspects of the game against UJ was the defensive play from both teams.

“It is an understatement to say that it took moments of brilliance for either side to cross the try line,” he explained.

UJ had only 12 men on the field at one point in the first half, yet Tuks still struggled to gain a significant lead. Not many noticed that UJ changed their kit at halftime, but the fresh shirts appeared to help them stay competitive throughout the match.

The standout Tuks player, Kobus Janse van Rensburg, was awarded man of the match for his outstanding skill and physicality in the backline.

“We are happy with the win, but we kicked away possession when we could have benefited from it,” the inside centre stated.

A special mention must go to Tuks’ number 6, Kamohelo Tlome, who had a stellar match. It is worth noting that Tuks had the opportunity to kick for goal several times but often opted to go for touch instead. They only successfully scored once from a lineout, and these controversial decisions resulted in a tightly contested encounter towards the end.

Tuks coach Dewey Swartbooi is excited about his players’ character when under pressure, especially in those last few minutes of the second half.

What worries him a little is that Tuks could not finish promising moves when on the attack.

“They say when you are in your opponent’s quarter, the promised land, as we call it, you should score points. That didn’t happen. It was because we made mistakes at critical times. We especially too often lost the ball during a lineout. In the first half, it happened three times when we were five metres from UJ’s goal line,” Swartbooi commented.

As for Janse van Rensburg’s centre play, Swartbooi said, he has a never-say-die attitude.

“It does not matter how tired he is; he keeps giving it his all. His work rate is incredible,” the coach remarked.

Dillon Smith, Oelof de Meyer, Kamohelo Tlome, Josh Du Toit and Roald Hatting were the try scorers for Tuks. For the second week in a row, JP Wentzel did not miss with his conversions.

Next week, Tuks will take on Ikeys in Cape Town. Kick-off is at 19:00.

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