It is often said that winning a trophy is special, but the real test of character for any team is to defend the title afterwards.

If this is considered, then the Tuks' women's rugby team showed a lot of character on Saturday when they beat the Harlequins in the final of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union's Women's Carlton League. The final score was 17-9. Tuks won the title for the first time last year.

"Obviously, we were really chuffed to defend our title. Last year, when we played the final, we had nothing to lose; this time, we had everything to lose. We had to defend the title. It was the first time we had to do so. We did a pretty excellent job. "I am super proud of the team," said the captain, Jess Maré.

"The game started off pretty rough for us in the sense that for most of the game, Harlequins had us 'parked' in our "22" through brilliant tactical kicking. That was essentially the game. We were under intense pressure throughout the game. Defending.

"We kept our 'cool'. In the week leading up to the final, we focused a lot on improving our defensive play. It paid dividends. We successfully prevented Harlequins from breaching our defensive line. The goal was to hold out and, when the opportunity arose, to let it count.

"With one point down, we decided to make some magic." "We capitalised on the mistakes the Harlequins made, scoring two quick tries in the dying moments."

It was no surprise that Maré was named Player of the Match. It has been said that a camera doesn't lie. When TuksSport photographer Reg Caldecott was afterwards asked if he took any photos of Maré during the match, his answer was, "You wouldn't believe she's in just about every photo I took." The evidence demonstrates that Maré was fully engaged throughout the entire match. She put her body on the line. She set an example for others to follow.

Tuks's right winger, Kgahliso Mamphoke, also deserves to be mentioned. Every time she had the ball in hand, Harlequin's defence was tested. She ended up scoring the winning try. To her, it is all in a "day’s work" as she abides by a simple philosophy when she is on the attack. "That is to strike hard."

Mamphoke dedicated the try she scored to Tuks's coach, Lizanne Jacobs.

"As a team, we owed it to her to win the trophy, as she has done so much for us. I started to wake up when we were trailing 7-9."