On 27 March, UP Tuks were relegated to the Varsity Shield after a 33-21 loss to Wits. To add insult to injury, this is also the sixth straight loss. With UP comfortably sitting at the bottom of the table with five points, a negative 53 point difference and not a single win to their name. It can be said that this has been the poorest performance in the team’s history. With a final game against UJ on home soil, the players and staff have to bring their A game and show something special. Otherwise this season will end with seven straight losses.
The game was a miserable affair as Tuks found themselves down 19-7 at halftime. This means that of the six games, Tuks have only ever seen the lead at halftime in a single game this season. That was a 23-16 halftime score against CUT, a game they ended up losing 41-39. This history meant there was all to play for in the second half of this week’s game, with the former champions backed into a corner and needing to dig deep to deliver. A fan could not be blamed if they thought that this was the moment when their title-winning spirit would shine through. That was not the case. The second half played out with both sides securing 14 points each and Tuks being left with their faces in the mud.
The hope for the future is that this is merely a horrendous stumble and not the sign of a giant crumbling. PDBY will be covering the final game against UJ, and hopefully UP Tuks can secure at least a single victory for the sake of the students that pay the R40 fee to support their home team. It is the least they could do.
