Fourie singing same Griquas song
Griquas and the Eastern Province Kings both have a point to prove when the two sides clash in a bottom of the log Currie Cup encounter at in Kimberley on Saturday.
The Peacock Blues don't have any real chance of booking a spot in the semifinals, but more importantly need a bonus-point victory over the visitors as they still strive to finish the pool stages among the top six teams – and in doing so ensure they remain in the Premier Division of next year's competition.
The Kings on the other hand have not won a single game since their return to South Africa's premier domestic competition .
Handed their inclusion in the Premier Division by SARU earlier this year, they are yet to prove that they are worthy and will be out to claim their first victory when they travel to the City of Diamonds.
The Griquas come off a tough round of qualifying games which saw them progress to the top tier and coach Hawies Fourie has repeatedly highlighted the fact that noting less that five points will be good enough against the Kings.
"I have said the same thing the last couple of weeks," Fourie said.
"We are fighting for Currie Cup survival and in search of that we have no other choice but to beat the Kings.
"We don't just want this victory, we need it desperately."
Seven points adrift from the Blue Bulls, who currently reside in sixth place, Griquas will have to shrug of the impact of injuries to stalwarts like lock Hilton Lobberts and flyhalf Francois Brummer, while at the same time focusing on giving a couple of players a good send off in their final home game before setting off to greener pastures.
"We have four guys – Marnus Schoeman, Nicolaas van Dyk, Ryno Barnes and Willem Serfontein – who are all off elsewhere at the end of the season.
"We want to help give them a good send-off."
For the Kings there is little more than pride at stake as the Port Elizabeth based side will look to salvage some momentum from what has been a dismal competition.
Kings coach Carlos Spencer was confident that his side could do well if they stuck to the structures.
"We need to keep to our game plan and not allow Griquas to play the game they want," Spencer said.
"The first 20 minutes of each game is where we let ourselves down thus far and we need to get a solid start and keep it if we are to beat them. We are very excited about the game."
Source: SAPA
