The Varsity Cup Young Guns clash between Tuks and Northwest promised to be a humdinger, and the players did not disappoint.
In the end, Northwest won 33-29 on their home turf. The same two teams clashed in last year’s final. Tuks ended up being victorious.
Major Allen Soutter (Tuks’s head coach) is upbeat about his team’s chances to retain the Varsity Young Guns title.
“Credit must go to Northwest for yesterday, making their opportunities to score count. It is what set up their victory. Still, I am excited about how our players opened up gaps in Northwest’s defence. Unfortunately, ever so often, a vital pass went awry. It is not the way to win a match. We will work on it in the buildup to the CUT game. Something else we will need to focus on is our defence against rolling mauls.
“What excited me is how the players backed each other. It was a case of one for all and all for one. Dillion Smith (vice-captain) was outstanding throughout the game.”
As an avid student of military history, the “Major” strives to learn from what happens in history but not to repeat the mistakes made. To him, the Varsity Young Guns Tournament boils down to a “war” with battles that must be won. Yesterday was only the first.
It was the first time Soutter acted as head coach for a Tuks team in a Varsity Tournament. Last year he was an assistant coach to Kennedy Tsimba.
Rugby has been his passion for a long time. As a player, he represented Transvaal Schools and played for the South African Defence Force (SANDF) team and Northwest as a flanker or eighth man. When his playing days ended, he started to coach first. A definite highlight was being the assistant coach of the SANDF team who toured Britain in 2015. The team contested the playoffs.
Soutter has also been instrumental in getting the Fezelas to win the Bulls’ Carlton Cup second league.
Soutter seems to be a self-acclaimed “momma’s boy”. When asked who considers being a role model or mentor, he immediately mentioned his mom, Betty.
“My dad died when I was young. It took a strong woman to bring up a young boy. She did a good job. My mom taught me that being disciplined is essential to being successful. Also, life is about continuously setting goals and giving 100% to achieve them.”
Motorbikes, big ones, is Soutter’s other passion. He is the proud owner of a Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa. He confesses to being a “petrolhead.”