It is said that the three "C's" on which a good captain is judged is caring, courageous and consistent. Tuks's Varsity Cup captain, Lincoln Daniels, ticks all three boxes. 

Daniels has an undeniable passion for rugby, competing, and his teammates. He certainly "walks the talk". He will never hesitate to put his body on the line to ensure a victory. To give 100% in every practice and match has become second nature to him. All of this adds up to having credibility as a captain. 

Nico Luus (Tuks head coach) describes Daniels as a quality person, player and captain. 

The Tuks captain gets embarrassed on hearing how his praises are being sung. He does not consider what he does as special. He is, after all, doing what he loves. That is to sidestep and dummy with the ball in hand. This passion led to him being the player of the match in the Tuks versus Ikeys encounter. 

A day later, Daniels still gets excited when reminiscing about how Tuks went about beating the Ikeys in the Varsity Cup encounter.

"My teammates were brilliant. We knew Ikeys would never give up, and they did not. But we managed to keep our cool. Stick to what needed to be done. That led to victory. Our performance was, however, far faultless. There are still things we can improve on."

On Monday, 7 March, Tuks is playing NWU Eagles in Potchefstroom. To Daniels, it might be slightly awkward. He was, after all, NWU’s captain last year in the Varsity Cup.

"It is going to be a challenging game. André Pretorius is, in my opinion, one of the best coaches I ever played for. It is guaranteed that he will have an 'ace up his sleeve' to  try and trump Tuks."

Sport, especially ball sports, is Daniel's passion.

"My mom jokes, saying I was born with a ball in my hand. Maybe I was, but it is my mom, Claudette, that has made sure through all the years that I never 'dropped' the ball. She is undoubtedly my biggest fan. In her eyes, I can do nothing wrong. It means a lot. There have been times when I felt like I have let my team down. But all it takes is a few words from my mom for me to be able to battle on. I am a proud 'Mama's Boy," said Daniels, who grew up in Malmesbury but matriculated at Hoërskool Garsfontein. 

With every sidestep, Daniels is continuing his dad, Archie, legacy. 

"My dad was a passionate rugby player when he was younger. Speed was his thing when he played club rugby in the Boland."

Daniels loves the challenges that come with playing centre. 

"You got to think on your feet, read the game because as far as I am concerned, the role of a good centre is to open up gaps and execute that perfect pass to enable a winger to score under the posts."

If the Tuks captain can have one wish come true, it will be to play at least one game as Juan de Jongh's centre partner. J

"Juan is from Wellington, in other words, a Bolander. His drive and guts proved to me that I don't have to limit my dreams."

Daniels played Craven Week Rugby in 2016, representing the Blue Bulls. He has played for the Leopards Under-20 and senior teams.