Griquas have all the tools to pummel the Pumas

LAST Friday, the Suzuki Griquas were edged out by the Fidelity ADT Lions 25-13 in a challenging Carling Currie Cup match at Emirates Airline Park. Despite the final scoreline, the game was far from a walk in the park for the Lions.

The match began with an early charge from the Lions, but the Griquas quickly regrouped and fought back valiantly. The visitors remained within striking distance of upsetting their high-flying hosts, but discipline issues hampered their efforts.

Two yellow cards, issued in quick succession to lock Athenkosi Khetani and replacement lock Derik Pretorius, reduced the Griquas to 13 men and provided the Lions with the opportunity they needed to take control of the game.

With a numerical advantage, the Lions capitalised on the situation and put the game out of reach for the Griquas. Despite a desperate late push from the visitors, the Lions held firm to secure their third Carling Currie Cup victory of the season.

Following that defeat, Griquas, now sixth on the log with six points, will face their next formidable opponent, the Airlink Pumas, on Sunday at 2pm at Mbombela Stadium.

The Pumas currently sit fourth on the log with 10 points.

In a press conference on Thursday, Suzuki Griquas head coach Pieter Bergh reflected on their previous match against the Pumas in Kimberley, calling it a disappointing performance, while also speaking about the other games they have played in the competition.

“Our guys didn’t show up for the (Pumas) game, and that cost us. In our first half against the Sharks in the Currie Cup, things didn’t go really well, but we came back better in the second half to win the game.

“We then played the Lions in the third round, and looking back at that game, you wonder how we lost that game,” Bergh said, highlighting the numerous opportunities his team had during the match against the Lions.

“We had a total of 19 line-outs in that game, and we could only play off of nine of them. There were 10 line-outs that we lost or were scrappy. With 25 minutes to go, we were two points down.

“Janco Uys was a centimetre short of the try line. We then had a maul that was held up over the goal line as well as a penalty in front of the posts that we missed. So we had three opportunities to take the lead, but we didn't take them.”

Commenting on the yellow cards, Bergh said, “Before we knew it, we were two men down and 12 points behind. We were not good enough on the day to beat them, but we showed against the Lions at Ellis Park that we are a good team.

“We must just use our opportunities.”

Bergh also noted the impact of having three consecutive Friday games, which limited their training time. “This week was a bit longer, and we could drill in some things into the guys that we felt they needed after the first three games of the season. We are happy where we are this week.

“We have one or two players; we are still undecided on whether they will make the team or not, but we needed this longer week,” he said.

Looking ahead to the match against the Pumas, Bergh said that his team still had belief in themselves and their systems.

“The players are really looking forward to this match because they knew they were under par during their first match against the Pumas, and they believe that they are good enough to go to Nelspruit and beat them on their home ground.”

With their upcoming match against the Pumas, the Griquas have a chance to prove their mettle and climb up the Currie Cup standings, knowing full well that just a week from Sunday the Lions will be visiting Suzuki Park to take advantage of any weakness the Kimberley team may show.

But as we say in this country these days, “hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie.”