UP-Tuks made sure they are still on track to secure a home semi-final in the Varsity Cup Tournament by beating Shimlas 27-14 last night in Bloemfontein.

It is only the second time since 2013 that UP-Tuks has managed to beat Shimlas on their home turf.

The positives UP-Tuks can take from the game are that they dominated having a territorial advantage. They were brilliant in the line-outs; the defence was rock solid while Tinus de Beer and Theo Maree are possibly from a tactical perspective one of the most ingenious halfback combinations in the competition. Johan Grobbelaar is also arguably one of the best hookers at the moment.

Apart from his brilliant tactical kicking abilities, De Beer is also busy establishing himself as one of the top point scorers in the history of the Varsity Cup rugby. This season he has already notched up 62 points. Overall his tally stands at 197 which place him fourth on the all-time list. With two, maybe four games to play, there is a real chance that he could top the rankings at the end of this competition.

In UP-Tuks last two games De Beer missed only with one of his 16 attempts kicking for the posts. The UP-Tuks fly-half only needs 23 points to overtake Matthew Rosslee (Ikeys) who has scored 219 points in the competition.

One of the most exciting aspects of UP-Tuks play was the way forwards kept on bashing the ball forward applying the pressure forcing mistakes on the Shimlas.

Marius Verwey (UP-Tuks captain) praised his teammates for how they were able to remain calm when under pressure. With only 20-minutes remaining UP-Tuks had a comfortable 20-0 lead. But then Shimlas scored twice within five minutes. With the score being 20-14 it seemed as if the home team could still win.

However, the UP-Tuks players stuck to their game plan proving they got big match temperament. It led to Erich Cronje scoring in the 73rd minute. De Beer converted ending any last hopes of a Shimlas victory.

The UP-Tuks performance was not entirely faultless. They again messed up scoring opportunities with handling errors at crucial moments. Last night UP-Tuks should have scored at least two more tries. The forwards also battled in the scrums.

Ciaran Dayaran (UP-Tuks winger) said with the playoffs seemingly looming the challenge for him, and his teammates are to fine tune their execution when on the attack.

“In an important game, their might just be two or three opportunities to score and if you mess that up it could cost you the game.”

Maties are still the log leaders with 28 points after six games. UP-Tuks is second with 24 points followed by Pukke with 18 points and Shimlas 15. However, Pukke and Shimlas have only played five games.

The UP-Tuks Young Guns has beaten Shimlas 32-6.

Monday UP-Tuks face-off to Pukke in Potchefstroom the result is vital if they want to ensure a home semi-final.