Griquas and the Pumas will contest the 2026 Carling Currie Cup Premier Division final on Saturday in Kimberley after they won their respective semi-finals against the Lions and Cheetahs, respectively, on Sunday afternoon.
In the first of two Sunday afternoon playoff games, the Griquas delivered a ruthless seven-try masterclass to overpower the Lions 52-12 in their clash in Kimberley.
That was followed by a titanic battle in Bloemfontein, where the Pumas edged the Cheetahs 27-24 thanks to a powerful second-half performance.
The results of the two semi-finals mean that Griquas will host the final at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley at 3pm on Saturday against the Pumas, in a rematch of the 2022 final when the side from Mpumalanga won the Currie Cup for their first and only time to date.
Playing in ice-cold winter conditions, Suzuki Griquas wasted no time stamping their authority over the visitors from Gauteng. Flanker Lourens Oosthuizen opened the floodgates in the fifth minute after a slick team attack carved open the Lions’ defence. Six minutes later, lock Marco de Witt finished off a rapid counter-attacking surge to stretch the hosts’ advantage to 14-0.
The Lions briefly halted the onslaught when hooker Armand Combrinck crashed over from a well-structured rolling maul just before the 20-minute mark.
However, Griquas quickly resumed control when inside centre Mnombo Zwelendaba powered over from close range, before outstanding playmaker George Whitehead provided a deft grubber kick for fullback Stefan Coetzee to gather and score.
Hooker Tiaan Lange then drove over from a maul on the stroke of half-time to cap off a devastating five-try opening 40 minutes as his team eased into a 35-5 lead at the break.
Oosthuizen extinguished any hopes of a Lions comeback just six minutes after the restart, grabbing his second try to cross the 40-point mark.
The visitors’ mounting frustrations spilled over two minutes later when they were reduced to 14 men following a yellow card for poor discipline. Despite the deficit, Lions’ strong Junior Bok midfielder Ethan Adams showed determination to power over for a consolation try.
However, fittingly, Griquas had the final say when substitute scrumhalf Jack Hart sniped around a set-piece fringe for another try, followed by a late Whitehead penalty goal to seal an emphatic 52-12 victory.
In the second semi-final staged in Bloemfontein, the Airlink Pumas followed up their big league win of last week over the Toyota Cheetahs with a hard-fought 27-24 victory.
Whereas the Pumas managed to easily outplay the Cheetahs last week in the final round of league games in Mbombela, this time around they had to dig really deep for the win.
The Cheetahs dominated the first half and led 10-3 thanks to a try scored by flanker Ramon Uys, while flyhalf Jaco van der Walt added the conversion and a penalty goal.
Pumas birthday boy Clinton Swart slotted a penalty goal for their only points in the opening half, but a Darren Adonis try in the corner just after halftime, converted by Swart, levelled the scores at 10-10 as the visitors gave an indication of their determination and fighting spirit. - SA Rugby Communications
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