Pumas v Griquas - teams and prediction

FINAL PREVIEW: It will be ‘fast and furious’ when the Pumas host Griquas in the South African Cup Final in Nelspruit on Saturday,

It has often been high-scoring affairs when the teams from Nelspruit and Kimberley go head-to-head in recent years.

They have also dominated this Currie Cup qualifying tournament, with Griquas winning 46-24 when they hosted the Pumas in the inaugural Final, almost a year to the day ago.

The Pumas turned the tables with a 39-34 win in a pool match last month.

Griquas coach Pieter Bergh highlighted the importance of maintaining their expansive approach, despite the importance of the occasion.

Good decision-making, discipline and defence are key aspects highlighted by Bergh.

Bergh noted that last year they won the SA Cup Final, and they beat the Pumas by 20 points.

However, they then lost to the Lowveld team twice in the Currie Cup, once by 40 points.

For the Pumas, there is a measure of ‘revenge’ after losing in Kimberley in the 2024 Final.

“There is plenty of value in the SA Cup,” Stonehouse told @rugby365com, pointing out that teams like the Griffons and Falcons came close to qualifying for the Currie Cup.

“I believe there are plenty of players who can step into the smaller unions and make the game better.

“That is the role the SA Cup can play.”

Stonehoise described Griquas as a ‘quality’ outfit.

“I’m looking forward to the Final between two teams that have been going head-to-head [regularly] in recent years.

“We both believe we belong in a bigger [international] competition if we had more money.”

(Article continues below the Jimmy Stonehouse preview ….)

According to the Griquas boss, Bergh, the SA Cup and Currie Cup produce vastly different levels of intensity.

However, they mustn’t move away from what has worked for them and what got them into this Final.

“I said to the players, we’ve got to understand what the Pumas’ strengths are, but we also have to understand what our strengths are,” the Griquas coach said.

“We’ve been playing an attacking game the whole year.

“We must not move away from that.

“We are creating a lot of opportunities, and if we now move away from that, just because it’s a Final, then, then we will move away from your strengths.”

He said the key aspects will be decision making, when to run and when to kick.

With both teams having qualified for the Currie Cup competition, the Final is their Final game before South Africa’s premier domestic competition gets underway on July 25, with a rematch of the Final at the same Mbombela Stadium.

“The Currie Cup is played at a different intensity,” Bergh told @rugby365com, adding: “It is a different competition with a lot more history to it.

“This is only the second year of the SA Cup.

“Last year showed that this match [the Final] doesn’t have a bearing really, on the Currie Cup for us.

“The Currie Cup and the SA Cup are the only two competitions where we can win trophies, and this is an opportunity for us as a union to win another trophy.”

Turning his attention to their face-off in Nelspruit last month, he admitted there were certain areas of the game where the Pumas performed better than Griquas.

“They won the aerial battle that day. They also beat us in the wide channels.

“However, when we attacked them in that second half, they couldn’t keep up with us in that second half, when we retained the ball.

“So I think you must look at it, and you must learn from that.”

However, it has been a month, and both teams have had time to reflect and reassess.

“You know, when you play the Pumas, it’s a set-piece battle. They’ve got big forwards and they also have big backs, a lot of ball carriers in their team.

“We need to have a good balance between attack and defence in this game and how they react to the way we want to play,.

“It is always very tactical.

“The Pumas and the Griquas games are very tactical.

“It’s not always just the big, passionate and a lot of intensity.

“There’s a lot of tactical planning going on between the two teams every week.”

Road to the Final

Head to head

Prediction

@rugby365com: The Pumas by six points

Teams

Pumas: 15 Tino Swanepoel, 14 Lundi Msenge, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Darren Adonis, 10 Danrich Visagie, 9 Ross Braude, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Ruwald van der Merwe (captain), 6 Ntsika Finsanti, 5 Jeandre Leonard, 4 Heinz Bertram, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Etienne Janeke.
Replacements: 16 Darnell Osuagwu, 17 Stephan de Jager, 18 Dewald Maritz, 19 Kwanda Dimaza, 20 Andre Fouche, 21 Clinton Swart, 22 Jay-Cee Nel, 23 Stefan Coetzee..

Griquas: 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Gurshwin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead (captain), 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Gustav Erlank, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Cebo Dlamini, 2 Janco Uys, 1 Leon Lyons.
Replacements: 16 Gustav du Rand, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Junior Banda, 19 Athenkosi Khethani, 20 Phumzile Maqondwana, 21 Bobby Alexander, 22 Tylor Sefoor, 23 Tom Nel.

Date: Saturday, May 24
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 18.30 (16.30 GMT)
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
Assistant referees: Paul Mente, Jonathan Lottering
TMO: Egon Seconds

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