Tuks’ Varsity Cup rugby team bounced back on Monday night after their defeat the previous week against the Pukke of NWU and with their fifth victory in this year’s tournament, Dewey Swartbooi’s men booked a home semi-final in Pretoria.

However, Tuks’ fans probably had a few anxiety attacks on Monday night as they watched their team take on Varsity College’s Emeris.

There was a stage in the first half when Tuks were trailing 19-5. Luckily, that was when the famous Tuks fighting spirit – “Playing for Stripes” – kicked in. It enabled Tuks to win 27-24.

Was this one of Tuks’ better performances in the Varsity Cup? No, it definitely wasn’t. Tuks made far too many mistakes for that and at times appeared listless. But then again, only one thing mattered. That was to win.

Younger rugby fans will not know who Boy Louw was. He was a Springbok who played 18 tests between 1928 and 1938. One of the most famous statements he made as a coach was, “Oh, so. Looks at the scoreboard.” He said that after the team he coached struggled to victory.

Swartbooi could be forgiven for repeating “Oom Boy Louw’s” words on Monday night. And he would have been right to have said so. In 10 years, no one would know that Tuks had battled to win. All they would see is 27-24. That is what matters. Tuks is topping the log and is near-guaranteed to play a home semi-final.

Swartbooi makes no excuses.

“We weren’t clinical enough. We dominated the attack for most of the game, but we couldn’t finish. But kudos to Varsity College. They came to the party to spoil the party. They had a plan, and they stuck to it. Their defence was brilliant. Varsity College has a better team than many people think. About eight of the team have junior contracts with the Sharks,” he praised the men of Durban North.

Not that Swartbooi would ever use that as an excuse, but the truth is that Tuks didn’t field a full-strength team.

“Next Monday in Johannesburg against UJ is going to be tough. There is all to play for as a home semi-final is at stake. If Tuks lose, we can theoretically slip down to third on the log. That’s why it was important to give players who don’t have much game time a chance to take the field against Varsity College. You never know when a key player will get hurt. So I want to know who can step up and who can’t,” he remarked.

Swartbooi may be a bit harsh on his men with this scenario, as Maties are five points behind them in third place on the log. However, the Stellenbosch men’s point difference is 45 less than Tuks, which means they will need a huge win in their final match against CUT to overtake the Pretoria team on the log, while Tuks will have to lose to UJ or earn no bonus point. UJ has also been inconsistent so far in the tournament and with everything at stake, Tuks should beat them this coming Monday.

Tuks captain Dillon Smith scored the winning try. He describes it as follows.

“There was a scrum about seven metres from the Varsity College goal line. At that stage, we were 20-24 behind, so I was relieved that it was our throw-in. Just before I went down to scrum, I said a short prayer asking for strength to get the ball across the try line. It happened. I was never as relieved to score a try,” he explained.

According to Smith, his team has things to talk about this week.

“Monday night wasn’t our best performance, given that this is usually a dangerous time in a tournament like the Varsity Cup. When things are going well, and you’re at the top of the log, it can happen so quickly that a team thinks they’ve made it. As a team we can’t afford to get complacent. We’ll have to tell each other to pull ourselves together, or it’s going to cost us. Last night was the fourth time we’ve had to come back from a deficit to win,” Smith concluded.

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