The showpiece lived up to its billing as a clash between the competition’s top two sides, with Tuks hosting the second-placed Eagles at a rain-drenched and jam-packed Tuks Stadium. 

Despite the slippery conditions, the home side rose to the occasion in emphatic fashion, producing a polished, high-intensity performance to cap off a superb campaign.

It was, however, the visitors who started brighter. NWU looked comfortable in the tough conditions, controlling territory early on and asking serious questions of the Tuks defence. Their early dominance was rewarded in the 18th minute when MJ Mostert calmly slotted a penalty to hand the Eagles a 3-0 lead.

Andile Myeni. Photo: Christiaan Kotzé/ASEM Engage

Tuks didn’t take long to respond. Flyhalf Divan du Toit steadied the ship with a penalty of his own, before the Pretoria outfit began to assert themselves through their powerful forward pack. 

With momentum building, sustained pressure eventually forced a breakthrough, as Tuks were awarded a penalty try after a dominant maul effort, nudging them into the lead.

The Eagles had a chance to narrow the gap just before the break, but Mostert pushed his effort wide, allowing Tuks to head into half-time with a valuable 10-3 advantage. The second half was a different story altogether.

Tuks came out firing, tightening their grip on the contest and turning the screw on the NWU defence. The breakthrough moment came courtesy of Andile Myeni, who lit up the soaked surface with a scintillating solo effort – slicing through the defence for a memorable try that brought the home crowd to its feet.

Moments later, Jean Fourie added to the Eagles’ misery, crashing over after another period of sustained pressure. Although Du Toit struggled off the tee with the conversions, Tuks had firmly taken control of the match.

The experienced flyhalf soon made amends in style, drilling a massive 50-metre penalty to stretch the lead beyond reach. From there, it was all about game management, as Du Toit added two more penalties to put the result beyond any doubt.

Divan du Toit. Photo: Christiaan Kotzé/ASEM Engage

In the end, it was a clinical and ruthless display from Tuks – a team that combined forward dominance, tactical intelligence, and flashes of brilliance when it mattered most. For the Eagles, it was a night that promised much but ultimately belonged to a Tuks side determined to make history.

Meanwhile, in the Young Guns competition, it was the University of Cape Town Young Guns that claimed the honour of being crowned champions by beating the University of the Free State Young Guns 42-29.

Scorers:

Tuks: Tries – Penalty Try, Andile Myeni (7-point try), Jean Fourie Pen. – Divan du Toit 4

NWU : Pen – MJ Mostert

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg