Tuks is the new USSA rugby champion after they beat Maties 26-21 in the 2025 final.

It is the first time since 2019 that Tuks has won the USSA tournament.

Numbers don’t always tell the whole story. What, for example, would be the numbers one uses to indicate courage and perseverance?

The definition of courage is to put your body on the line for 80 minutes, never giving up. Even if that means to sometimes losing a little blood or breaking something in the body, and never complaining. It’s all about getting the team to win.

Tuks winger Kobus Janse van Rensburg puts it as follows:

“The fact that we’ve been playing together as a team for almost two years counts for a lot. It’s different when you’re playing with someone who shares the most personal aspects of their life with you. You know what goes on in their house, and you understand how the guy thinks. It’s as if your teammate is your brother. You can’t help but give your all in a game because you are playing for the guy next to you. It is never about yourself or the crowd,” Janse van Rensburg explained.

Coach Dewey Swartbooi has been praising the camaraderie in the team, adding that it’s their best asset.

“The team does not rely on one or two players to win the game. Every time we played, it was a total team effort. For us to win is massive. There really are no words to describe it, especially the way we beat Maties. We knew that Maties would give them everything, and they did. We didn’t back down. It was a good final,” Swartbooi remarked.

The stand-in lock, Cayno February, believes that Tuks’ road to victory started with the fightback effort against Shimlas earlier during the tournament.

The last few minutes of the final were filled with drama with the score changing twice.

“I can’t describe to anyone the rollercoaster of emotions that I and probably every teammate experienced when Maties scored a try in the dying moments. Suddenly, it was dead quiet in the stadium,” is how Tuks captain Chad-Lee Valentine remembers things.

In the final seconds Joshua Dampies (Tuks flyhalf) lined up to kick for posts from a penalty. The ball hit the upright post and bounced back into the hands of David Engongo (lock). He scored the winning try for Tuks.

“It was unbelievable. For a moment, I didn’t know whether to jump in the air, laugh or cry to celebrate the victory,” said Valentine.

According to Swartbooi, he never doubted his team, not even in those last few minutes.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram