Griquas completed off an ideal marketing campaign by successful the SA Cup – their first main trophy in a decade – once they defeated arch-rivals the Pumas in an exhilarating ultimate in Kimberley on Saturday afternoon.
Pieter Bergh’s facet led from the onset, racing right into a 29-0 lead within the first 25 minutes and by no means misplaced the result in clinch a memorable 46-24 win performed in entrance of an enormous crowd at their residence floor within the Diamond Metropolis.
The Peacock Blues – enjoying in white on Saturday – delivered a masterclass within the first half to successfully take the sport away from the gritty workforce from Mpumalanga.
Griquas led 29-14 at half-time because the Pumas began with their fightback, and the house facet needed to face up to an intensive interval of strain from the guests as Jimmy Stonehouse’s workforce served discover of their intension to remain within the recreation.
Nevertheless, the hosts’ defence held agency to repel a number of ahead onslaughts from the Pumas they usually thwarted two harmful scoring alternatives by managing to carry up the visiting ball service and stop them from scoring.
As soon as Griquas managed to take in that strain, they one way or the other discovered one other gear to attain two quick-fire tries within the final six minutes to seal the deal. The house workforce’s skilled flyhalf George Whitehead was once more their standout participant by scoring a strive, 4 conversions and two penalty targets for a private contribution of 19 factors.
The lads from the Northern Cape made a optimistic begin by scoring a transformed strive by left wing Sako Makata within the sixth minute, which was transformed by Whitehead.
Whitehead then hit the goal once more barely one minute later when he slotted penalty aim following a excessive deal with, which noticed proper wing Stefan Coetzee despatched to the sin bin. This was adopted by a penalty strive when the Pumas pulled down a driving maul with the tryline beckoning.
With two opponents within the sin bin, Griquas tried to run the Pumas off their toes and it was not shock when energetic fullback Cameron Hufke was despatched over within the nook following a two-man overlap, to make it 22-0.
Griquas continued to tighten the screws and 6 minutes later Whitehead exploited area behind the Airlink Pumas’ defensive position when he collected his personal grubber kick to run in underneath the sticks, with the conversion stretching the hosts’ result in 29-0 inside 25 minutes.
However the Pumas staged their fightback which noticed them awarded a penalty attempt to yellow card for the hosts’ exterior again Stephan Smit.
That, and an excellent counter-attacking strive by substitute flyhalf Gene Willemse, narrowed the deficit to fifteen factors at halftime.
Self-discipline continued to plague either side, and simply earlier than Willemse’s strive, Makata turned the fourth participant see yellow within the first half when he was sin-binned for a harmful deal with.
After the break the 2 groups improved their self-discipline which resulted in an arm wrestle for possession, territory and factors.
Griquas pressured one other scrum penalty early within the second stanza and allowed Whitehead to simply slot his second penalty aim of the afternoon to extend the result in 32-14.
Nevertheless, the Pumas refused to go away and their forwards began to get extra into the sport which additionally noticed them having fun with extra possession. It was subsequently no shock when substitute hooker Darnell Osuagwu continued along with his try-scoring streak by dotting down for the guests after a sustained interval of strain.
The momentum was now with the workforce from Mpumalanga and shortly thereafter it was Pumas wing Lundi Msenge, who completed off a transfer to chop the result in 32-24 with 10 minutes of play left on the clock.
However two fast tries, by replacements Gustav du Rand (hooker) and Bobby Alexander (scrumhalf), sealed the destiny of the guests and led to wild celebrations by the house workforce and their supporters.
Griquas 46 (29) – Tries: Sako Makata, Cameron Hufke, George Whitehead, Gustav du Rand, Bobby Alexander, Penalty strive. Conversions: Whitehead (4). Penalty targets: Whitehead (2).
Pumas 24 (14) – Tries: Gene Willemse, Darnell Osaugwu, Lundi Msenge, Penalty strive. Conversion: Willemse.
Photograph: Danie Van Der Lith/Gallo Photographs
