No asterisk attached to this title, says Griquas coach Pieter Bergh after victory over Lions

Griquas coach Pieter Bergh was prepared to fine his players if any of them spoke about facing the Lions’ United Rugby Championship side in the build-up to Saturday’s Currie Cup final.

That “threat” seemed to work, as the team focused mentally and went on to claim a dramatic 27-25 victory at Ellis Park with a last-gasp penalty — their first title in 55 years. Three years ago, the Griquas fell short in the final, but this time they showed immense fight against a stronger side to lift the trophy.

Bergh explained afterwards that there had been a moratorium on discussing the Lions’ URC strength and their Springbok stars.

“On Monday I walked into the team room and said if I hear the word URC this week, you’ll get a R500 fine,” Bergh revealed.

“We’re not playing against a URC side; we’re playing against the Lions. They have 23 players, and we have 23 players. It wasn’t mentioned the entire week and that was the mindset going into the final. There is no asterisk behind this win. It is a proper Currie Cup win.

“We came here and defeated a full-strength side.”

Bergh described it as a very special victory, considering it ended the Griquas’ 55-year wait for silverware. While their 2022 final appearance was widely celebrated, the coach was determined not to let his players dwell on the past going into the Ellis Park showdown.

He and his management team did everything possible to ease the pressure on the squad. Their previous meeting with the Lions in Johannesburg had ended in their heaviest defeat of the season, but they put that aside, adjusted their tactics, and outplayed their more favoured opponents.

“We are incredibly proud, but hopefully we won’t wait another 55 years to win the title,” Bergh added with a laugh.

“The hope is that we can build on this. Credit must go to the players who stuck to their guns until the last minute. It helped that we played here two weeks ago and could work out a plan based on what we saw.

“People will say we were lucky, but we created more opportunities than them. I am happy for everyone.”