Tuks lose lock in VC opener
Lock Eli Snyman was forced to leave the field in the opening minutes of the match and will miss the rest of the Varsity Cup season.
"After one minute of play, we lost our lock Eli Snyman," UP-Tuks head coach Pote Human told rugby365.com.
The coach further revealed that "Snyman tore all his ligaments in his ankle and will be out for up to four months, which means his season is basically over,"
The absence of Snyman really affected the home side who found themselves having to come from behind twice in the epic see-saw battle.
"The lineouts were very problematic for us especially after the loss of Snyman. Nonetheless, I must praise the guys for their tremendous character. To come from behind twice just proves the depth of the character.
"What really impressed me was our defence and scrum. I think our level of fitness also contributed to the win in the end," Human added.
Despite two hard-fought tries by Chris Massyn and Tinus de Beer, UP-Tuks’ Achilles heel was their ill-discipline. They conceded three penalties which kept Maties' scoreboard ticking at a wet Loftus Versfeld.
"Credit to Maties, they were good, they really came to play and even dominated the breakdown but my team's ill-discipline was disappointing.
"We gave away far too many penalties. We have to address that and the boys know we can be more discipline,"
For some a bye this early in the campaign may be problematic but UP-Tuks head coach Human view it as a blessing in disguise.
"Having a by so early can make us lose momentum but will also provide us with enough time to work on new combinations especially without our lock," he added.
By Leezil Hendricks
@Leezil07
@rugby365.com
