Next year when Tuks's Varsity Cup rugby team takes to the field things will not be quite the same as the "Big Man" won't be watching from the sidelines. 

For the past 11 years, the one thing the players could bank on was that Morris Gilbert would be there amongst them ready with words of encouragement. At times as a team manager, he even might have had some valuable advice.  

But as it is often said all good things must come to an end. Being 65 it is time for the "Big Man" to vacate his chair next to the sidelines for good.

TuksRugby's Acting Head of Programme & Logistics Conrad Boshoff describes Gilbert as one of the club's greats. 

"I can honestly say that Morris made a difference in many a player's life. Through his innovative thinking, he has helped to ensure that Tuks remains one of South Africa's top club teams."

Statistics always makes for interesting facts. In 11 years Gilbert has been on the sidelines for 263 of Tuks's games. It might just be some sort of record. 

Needless to say, Gilbert experienced his fair share of highlights. There were also some disappointments, but it the special moments which he will remember for years to come. 

One of them was Tuks beating Maties 44-5 in a Varsity Cup final in 2013 in Stellenbosch. Last year's USSA final was all about guts. Tuks eventually won the "tit for tat" battle beating Maties 19-18. According to Gilbert every Carlton Cup-final Tuks played let to its own heroics. 

Rugby for Gilbert will always be about more than only scoring tries and winning trophies. 

"As TuksRugby's Elite Athlete Operations Manager, one of my biggest challenges had been to convince the players that their studies are as important, if not more, than any rugby game they might play. At first, some players did not really buy into it. But things changed. Most players now understand the necessity of having a qualification to their name. No sports career lasts forever. For me, every player who graduates is a personal triumph."

It can be said that Gilbert fell in love with the game of rugby the first time he touched the ball. As one of the bigger boys on the field, he got to do more than only sidestep and tackle. 

Playing as a loosehead prop, he was tasked with trying to isolate and get under a tighthead prop to try to drive him up. It is a challenge Gilbert relished as he understood that a team that can't win the ball in the scrums won't win the game. 

His talents did not go unnoticed. Gilbert represented Northern Freestate at Craven Week-level. He went on to play for Tuks's under-19A team. His playing career was unfortunately ended by a severe ankle injury. The setback led to Gilbert becoming a provincial rugby referee. 

He later worked at Beeld as a sports reporter. The knowledge he acquired as a player and referee certainly stood him to good stead when he got to report on 26 Craven Week High School Tournaments, the Blue Bulls and the Springboks. 

Gilbert considers Franco Mostert, Boeboes Coetzee, and Handre Pollard as three of the most memorable players to don Tuks's coveted "Striped Jersey". 

As a passionate rugby fan, he always admired Naas Botha's heroics. That is why the 1987 Currie Cup-final will forever be etched on his memory. Gilbert still remembers the Rapport newspaper's headline afterwards - "Naas 24, Transvaal 18". 

Listening to the legendary Gerhard Viviers describing the feats of the Springboks like Frik du Preez, Mof Myburgh, Mannetjies Roux and Piet Visagie over the radio is something else he will never forget. 

Gilbert is not sure as to what the future holds but being 65 does not mean his passion for rugby has diminished. 

"If there is any rugby club who is interested in the services of an "Oom" I am available. Otherwise, I will be in the garden, nurturing plants."