"If" - is a word that will haunt Tuks's rugby team for some time as their chance of retaining the Varsity Cup title ended last night after losing 26-22 against Northwest.
It is Tuks's fourth successive loss. The last time this happened in Varsity Cup Tournament was in 2018. Tuks actually went on to lose five games in a row. The cruel reality is that it could happen again on Monday as Tuks plays Maties in Stellenbosch.
The Maties are also not on top of their game this season. The big difference is that they still do win games. More importantly, they don't give up. They proved this by beating Ikeys 21-19, Northwest 31-28 and Wits 56-54. They had to come from behind to win in all three games.
In contrast, Tuks lost 26-25 against Shimlas, 41-39 against CUT, and 26-22 against Northwest last night. Their biggest defeat was losing 42-19 against Ikeys.
For Tuks to avoid a fifth defeat, they must come up with something extraordinary on Monday against Maties.
Last night against Northwest, it was a case of 15 plays, 14 at Tuks. Northwest's captain Vernon Paulo (hooker), was red-carded for executing a dangerous tackle early in the first half. With him in the sin bin, Northwest hardly won any lineouts.
Tuks should have capitalised on this but did not do so. Time and time again, mistakes were made when Tuks were on the attack. Even the television commentators commented on how Tuks kept losing the ball at vital moments. Also, too often, they erred in their defence. It has been an ongoing occurrence in each of Tuks's games.
That is why the word "if" will probably haunt the players and coaches at the moment. Because "if" the players kept control of the ball. "If" vital tackles were not missed. "If" Tuks did not need to play catchup in each game, some results could have been different.
"Tough and hard" were the words Tuks's captain Lincoln Daniels used after last night's defeat against Northwest.
"There are no words to describe how we feel as a team. We fought hard to win, but it was to no avail. Our efforts are not reflected on the scoreboard. If I am honest, we, as players, are to blame. We are the ones who made the mistakes. But still, to once again lose by only a few points are disheartening."
Things are not going to get any easier for Tuks. After Maties, they got to play Wits away. The Wits team is currently fourth on the log. So they have a lot to play for.
Tuks's last game is at home against UJ. It is a game Tuks ought to win on paper, as UJ is also battling in this Varsity Cup campaign. They have only won once so far.
Again there might be a lot at stake. The team ending bottom of the Varsity Cup log will automatically be relegated to the Varsity Shield, while the team finishing top of the Varsity Shield log will automatically be promoted to the Varsity Cup.