Suzuki Griquas staged a stirring second-half comeback to successfully defend their Carling Currie Cup Premier Division title with a hard-fought 23-16 victory over the Airlink Pumas in a tense final at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley on Saturday.
The defending champions trailed 10-13 at halftime, but showed composure and championship character after the break, adding 13 second-half points via the boot of George Whitehead and a decisive late try by replacement hooker Janco Uys.
Whitehead, playing his 150th match for Griquas, was again central to the hosts’ success. The experienced flyhalf finished with two conversions and three penalty goals, keeping the scoreboard moving at crucial stages as they completed a historic back-to-back triumph.
The result capped another memorable campaign for the Northern Cape side, who absorbed long periods of pressure, stayed patient in possession, and struck the decisive blow in the final stages to deny a committed Pumas outfit.
The Airlink Pumas made the stronger statement before the interval and went into the break three points ahead after an absorbing first 40 minutes in which both teams created clear scoring opportunities, although handling errors at decisive moments prevented either side from taking firm control.
Suzuki Griquas opened the scoring in the eighth minute through a Whitehead penalty goal, before the Pumas hit back with the first try of the final. Darren Adonis finished well on the right wing after Jay-Cee Nel’s intercept sparked the counter-attack, and Clinton Swart added the conversion in his 50th appearance to give the visitors a 7-3 lead.
The hosts responded in the 22nd minute when inside centre Mnombo Zwelendaba reacted quickest to scoop up a loose ball and score Griquas’ first try. Whitehead converted to edge the Kimberley side back in front at 10-7, but Swart kept the Pumas in touch with a penalty goal three minutes later to level the scores.
Swart’s second penalty goal edged the visitors into a 13-10 advantage. The closing stages then produced drama at both ends, with Sako Makata losing possession over the line after a strong and patient Griquas lineout build-up before JJ Scheepers was denied at the other end by committed Griquas defence as the ball was dislodged over the tryline.
The titanic battle continued after the restart, with both sides refusing to give ground in a bruising and increasingly tactical second half. Griquas threatened first after the break when Makata made a telling break, but the Pumas showed heart and defensive steel to hold the hosts out near their line, absorb the pressure, and force a relieving scrum.
Whitehead struck first in the second half, landing a penalty goal in the 57th minute after the Pumas were penalised for offside to level the match at 13-13. With the contest still in the balance, Whitehead and Swart traded penalty goals as the teams remained locked at 16-16 entering the closing stages.
The defining moment arrived five minutes from time when Uys powered over for Griquas’ second try from a strong lineout maul. Whitehead added the conversion, giving the home side a 23-16 lead that they protected through the final minutes to seal another famous Currie Cup triumph in Kimberley – sweet joy after losing to the Pumas at the same ground in the 2022 championship decider.
Scorers:
Suzuki Griquas 23 (10) – Tries: Mnombo Zwelendaba, Janco Uys. Conversions: George Whitehead (2). Penalty goals: Whitehead (3).
Airlink Pumas 16 (13) – Try: Darren Adonis. Conversion: Clinton Swart. Penalty goals: Swart (3).
Sw33Per
The Man of the Match title is awarded to the player who has contributed the most to make the best impact in a match or series. This title was first used in cricket and can be awarded to any player, whether his team has won or not. The only cricketer to have won the title four consecutive times is Sourav Chandidas Ganguly. The left-handed Dada played for the national team of India.
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Shahid Afridi used Sachin Tendulkar\’s bat to hit the fastest ever ODI century – Shahid Afridi was flown in to play for the Pakistan team from West Indies to Nairobi in 1996 and didn\’t have a proper bat. That\’s when Waqar Younis gave \’Young Afridi\’ Sachin Tendulkar’s bat. Afridi hit 11 sixes and six boundaries with the bat and scored a 37-ball century against Sri Lanka which was the then fastest ODI century. The record, broken later by Corey Anderson (36 balls), now belongs to South Africa\’s AB de Villiers (31 balls).