Tuks will board their flight to Cape Town with this in mind for the re-match with Maties in the Varsity Cup semi-final on Monday (23 March) in Stellenbosch.

“The win against Maties (16 March) was awesome because for us it was as good as a quarter-final. Luck was, at last I should add, on our side. Any festivities were however short lived because of the steep road still ahead of us. We don’t want our campaign to end in the semi-finals again (like in 2008),” said Tuks head coach Freddie Grobler.

For him the win represents a massive psychological advantage as “we, and they, now know that you’re only as good as you last 80 minutes. No team is blessed with invincibility.”

Grobler added that Tuks’ self belief will therefore at least be on par with that of Maties.

“We know they will be much tougher opponents to beat in the semi-finals. They are the defending champions after all, but this will also add to the pressure on them to perform accordingly,” said Grobler.
It goes without saying that Tuks will lay much emphasis on discipline, concentration and goal kicking in their semi-final preparations.

They will have to limit critical offences near their own posts, are tactically not always in the highest gear whilst one missed opportunity at goal could make the difference between win or loose.