It seems Tuks is Niks

Franco Marais

Monday night on 20 March, and UP Tuks have just lost 46-35 to arch-rivals Maties. That makes five straight losses, which puts Tuks at the bottom of the log, with a real threat of being relegated. This is the poorest form UP Tuks have seen in the Varsity Cup since its inception. With all hopes of reaching the playoffs dashed and questions that need to be answered, what awaits the former Varsity Cup champions?

The game comes first and, as is all too common this season, Tuks fell behind in the first half. By the time the 50-minute mark was reached, the score was at an embarrassing 36-7. However, when their opponents received a yellow card, the men in white decided it was time to show a bit of backbone and tried to fight back. Zander Reynders led the charge by scoring the first try in Tuks’s rally. This was followed by Zandré Kruger’s moment of magic where he sidestepped the outside centre of Maties to get himself on the scoreboard. Kruger also played a pivotal role in the third try. But with the score at 36-28, Maties made sure to punish the non-stop errors from Tuks’s side, and after a swift conversion kick and grinded out try, the game was well beyond saving. Even with a final try from Tuks, it never seemed like they would be able to secure the victory in this game.

Mpho Mabelesa and Franco Marais

With the recent form of Tuks rugby in the Varsity Cup, PDBY have decided to roll back the years in a unique way with an interview from former Tuks first team manager, Jan Hendrik Robbertse. Robbertse managed Tuks in the Varsity Cup from the inaugural tournament in 2008 to 2010.

He was asked about the greatest challenge that he faced as manager and said it was when, “In 2008, the last three games were played in George, at a so-called ‘bumper weekend’. We had to play three matches in six days, which were very tough”. According to Robbertse, Tuks had to win all three games to qualify for the semi-final, which they successfully did. However, they lost the semi-final to an unforgiving last-minute penalty that they conceded to Maties. The upside to this loss is that Tuks later went on to win the Varsity Cup two years in a row in 2012 and 2013. Hopefully for the current fans this can be an omen of what to expect going forward, that this year is nothing more than a stumble for future success.

Robbertse was also asked about the original vision of the Varsity

Cup, and how it has changed since its establishment. “Varsity Rugby via intervarsities and the Super Bowl, before 2008, gave Varsity Rugby players the opportunity to play against each other. The Varsity Cup just took this to a higher level and gave student rugby players the opportunity to play in a tournament that was on such a level (almost like a professional tournament). The travel and television exposure elevated the profile of student rugby players and gave them exposure to study and perhaps be drawn into the professional rugby setup at a later stage. After a few years, universities started to use professional rugby players, already contracted at the unions, to play in the Varsity Cup. “Instead of creating new opportunities for student rugby players to become professional like in the beginning, this was in my view, contrary to the original intention.” With this, Robbertse brought to light an issue that has been stated a few times regarding the Varsity Cup. That is whether it is ethical to use contracted professional players in a student focused tournament. This leaves us with a question. Should Varsity Cup only be for student players, or should it be rebranded as a unique youth development competition centred around universities?