Griquas will be gunning for back-to-back Carling Currie Cup Premier Division rugby titles on Saturday when they face the Pumas in front of their fanatical home supporters in Kimberley.
The Peacock Blues powered their way into the final with an emphatic 52-12 victory over the Lions, and they will be oozing with confidence as they aim for another Currie Cup triumph.
The try-scorers for Griquas in an impressive win over the Lions in Kimberley were Lourens Oosthuizen (2), Marco de Witt, Mnombo Zwelendaba, Stefan Coetzee, Tiaan Lange and Jack Hart.
Earlier this season, the Pumas edged Griquas 38-35 after extra time in Kimberley to win the SA Cup final to become the first team to successfully defend the title.
Griquas coach Pieter Bergh said he was extremely proud of what his players had managed to achieve this season.
“Yeah, you know, very proud of the players and the management team and everybody involved to achieve the home final,” Bergh told OFM Sport.
“I think from the beginning, from last year, to winning the Currie Cup away and seeing the fans welcoming us home after last year’s victory, the goal was to give Kimberley a home final.
“So that’s what we dreamed of and what the goal was from the beginning of the season.
“So we are just very happy and proud to be able to do that.
“It was a tough game against the Lions in the semifinal.
“Regarding the weather, there was an hour before kick-off when we were unsure if we were going to be starting on time, as there was a lot of lightning in the air and rain.
“The players just kept their concentration, kept their focus, and really played another good game. We played good rugby.”
“In our last three matches — Pumas away, Boland away and now the Lions — we’ve really played well, and conceded only six tries in those three matches.
“So hopefully we can take a lot of confidence into the final.
“We know the previous results aren’t going to mean much, and the Pumas will be ready for us.
“They know that they won the Currie Cup in 2022 and they won the 2026 SA Cup here this year, but our players are really, really driven and really want to win the Currie Cup for the people of Kimberley, in front of them this weekend.”
In the other semifinal in Bloemfontein, the Pumas emerged with a hard-fought 27-24 victory over the Cheetahs.
Whereas the Pumas managed to easily outplay the Cheetahs the previous week in the final round of league games in Mbombela, this time around they had to dig deep for the win.
The Cheetahs dominated the first half and led 10-3, thanks to a try by flank Ramon Uys and a conversion and penalty by flyhalf Jaco van der Walt.
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