The UP-Tuks men’s sevens rugby team is confident of contesting the playoffs of the USSA Tournament being played over the weekend in Margate. 

The past weekend UP-Tuks finished third in Kenya’s Christie National Tournament. Afterwards, the UP-Tuks winger Dewald Naudé was included in the Christie All-Stars Team. 

Naudé is of the opinion that the experience they gained from playing in Kenya is going to stand them to good stead during the USSA Tournament as well as in two weeks’ time when they will be competing in the Varsity Tournament. 

“Most people might not realise it, but the Kenyans are quite passionate about sevens rugby. We were privileged to play against the likes of Collins Injera and William Ambaka who are close to being legends. 

“If there is one thing I have learned to admire about the Kenyans it is how they never give up. They honestly believe that no game is won or lost up to when the final whistle is blown. You certainly can’t count having scored a try until you dot the ball down. In every move, there are one or two players who are hell-bent on making that one vital tackle to prevent you from scoring. I was quite astonished at the high tempo they play all the time,” said Naudé who scored five tries over the weekend.

“I believe that if we can adopt the same principles as the Kenyans that we will be able to give a good account of ourselves. The one advantage we have this time around is having played at least one tournament before competing at USSA’s. You can train all you want, but it is never going to be the same as playing an actual game.”

Naudé used to be a talented sprinter while at school in the Paarl. His best time of 10.70s in the 100m meant he possibly could have gone on to become a real champion but from when he can remember rugby was the game that mattered most to him. It is not just the thrills and spills that get his adrenaline going. To him, the camaraderie amongst players at all times is what makes playing rugby special.

Like most players, he also dreams of one day maybe being good enough to play for the Springboks. When asked which he would prefer – the Blitzboks or the Springboks – his honest answer is he does not care.

“The Springbok is a Springbok. I cannot think of a bigger honour than donning the coveted green and gold jersey to represent your country.”

Unfortunately for Naudé, his season got curtailed by a severe shoulder injury which meant he had to sit on the sidelines for two months. But in a way, it was a good thing because the final year BA Phycology student is now more motivated. He admits having something to prove. 

On Saturday UP-Tuks will play TUT, Namibia University, VUT and then Kovsies. Sunday morning they will play Maties, and hopefully, from then they will get to contest the playoffs.