Tuks claimed a composed 33-17 victory over Maties in Pretoria, while there were also Varsity Cup wins for UJ, Shimlas and UCT.
Backed by an electric home crowd, Tuks combined forward muscle with disciplined defence to move to the top of the log.
The clash was physical from the outset, with both teams arriving on the back of big wins, but it was the hosts who struck first in the 21st minute when Jean Fourie powered over from a driving maul.
Maties responded clinically. Hooker CJ Erasmus dotted down from a maul before Ryan Manuel intercepted to score, with flyhalf Christiaan van Heerden Smith converting both and adding a penalty to give the visitors a 17-5 half-time lead.
The second half belonged to the Stripe Generation. Munashe Dukuswa sliced through the defence to reduce the deficit before scrum pressure told, allowing Ben Jansen van Vuuren to cross and level matters.
Fourie then grabbed his second, again from a driving maul, as Tuks regained control.
Jayd Austin capped a standout display with a point-of-origin try to seal a commanding result. Austin was named Man of the Match.
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In Joburg, UJ snatched a dramatic 35-29 win over the NWU Eagles.
After leading 28-14 at the break, UJ were pegged back by a Ricardo Fourie hat-trick and trailed 29-28 late on, before captain Thabang Mphafi crashed over in the dying minutes to clinch victory.
FULL TIME and the Orange Army have won it at the death in sensational fashion! @UJ_Sport come from behind and captain Thabang Mphafi scores in the final moments to beat the log leaders!
FNB UJ 35-29 FNB NWU
Brought to you by @FNBSA, @SteersSA, @Suzuki_ZA and @SportPesaSA pic.twitter.com/jnrsAYxh8H
— Varsity Cup (@varsitycup) March 2, 2026
Bloemfontein belonged to Shimlas, who hammered neighbours CUT 71-19 after taking a 42-0 lead into half-time.
The @UFSweb Shimlas making it look easy. The 2024 champions raining down tries at will in the Bloem derby. #RugbyThatRocks #WhosNXT pic.twitter.com/hh0yZCFSP3
— Varsity Cup (@varsitycup) March 2, 2026
Defending champions UCT claimed a 32-10 bonus-point win over Emeris in Durban.
Varsity Cup Round 3 results
Tuks 33 Maties 17
UJ 35 NWU 29
Shimlas 71 CUT 19
UCT 32 Emeris 10
Photo: Catherine Kotze/Asem Engage
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