Currie Cup champs Griquas will test EP’s courage

EP’s mental and physical courage will be tested in the heat of battle on Saturday when they collide with an unbeaten Suzuki Griquas outfit who are brimming with confidence after making a flying start to the season.

After beating the Leopards last week, the Elephants face their biggest test of the season against the 2025 Currie Cup champions at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (kickoff 5pm).

Griquas, who have scored an impressive 53 tries in five matches, will arrive in Gqeberha in a buoyant mood after a fifth consecutive SA Cup victory in Wellington last week.

The on-fire side from Kimberley consolidated their position at the top of the log when they beat a formidable Boland Cavaliers outfit 24-14 last week.

After a barn-storming start to season, the “Peacock Blues” (Poubloues in Afrikaans) will be confident about stretching their winning run against the Elephants.

When the teams met in Kimberley in 2025, Griquas thrashed the Elephants 70-17 on a day EP will not remember with fondness.

A dominant display of powerful mauling, which produced three important tries, helped the EP Elephants trample the Leopards 43-31 in Potchefstroom on Saturday, EP coach Allister Coetzee said. The morale-boosting victory, away from home at Olen Park, saw EP post their first victory of the season and also enabled the Gqeberha side to climb to eighth position on the 10-team SA Cup log. Next up for the Elephants is a tough sixth-round clash against an unbeaten Griquas side at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday (5pm). A satisfied Coetzee praised his team for showing resilience after they fought their way back into the game against the Leopards after trailing 17-0 midway through the first half. EP have yet to win at home this season after defeats against the Falcons and SWD Eagles and Coetzee is desperate to reverse that trend. “In the second half we put the squeeze on the Leopards and EP were very good at cutting out mistakes,” Coetzee said. “We were clinical in scoring back-to-back tries in the second half and EP were also good at mauling, and we scored three tries from that. “All-in-all I was happy with the win and the performance delivered by the guys. “So it was an important victory, and now we have to build on it.” “The game against the Leopards showed the character of the EP team to always fight to the end. “We really finished really strongly in Potchefstroom.” Flying EP wing Mpho Ntsane scored three tries, and there were also five pointers for Damon Royle, Garth April, Buhle Njekwa and Dandre Delport. Fly-half April booted three conversions and replacement No 10 Maxwell Klaasen one, to complete EP’s points tally at Olen Park. With round six looming, the battle for a top four finish and a place in the Currie Cup Premier Division is heating up with the Griquas (25 points), Pumas (22), SWD Eagles (22), Cheetahs (18) leading the pack. The Cheetahs clawed their way back into the top four with an emphatic 57-10 win over the Griffons in Welkom on Saturday. Cheetahs’ captain Neels Volschenk said though the win was a big boost, hard work still lay ahead for his team. “There’s still plenty we can improve on, especially our discipline early on, where we put ourselves under unnecessary pressure,” he said. “But I’m really pleased with how we stuck it out for one another. “There were times when the Griffons were in our 22, and we had to dig deep, and we did that, which shows the character in the side. “Our discipline improved nicely in the second half, which is encouraging. “Our set piece is something we’ll definitely look at this week because it’s a key area for us. “It was also good to see us move the ball more, and the forwards gave us quality possession, and the backs made the most of it. “There’s still work to do at the breakdown, but our handling and willingness to play created momentum.” Log (all teams have played five matches): Griquas 25, Pumas 22, SWD Eagles 22, Cheetahs 18, Boland Cavaliers 15, Griffons 10, Falcons 9, EP Elephants 7, Leopards 7, Border Bulldogs 0. Weekend fixtures: Friday: Pumas v Leopards. Saturday: Boland Cavaliers v Border Bulldogs, SWD Eagles v Cheetahs, Griffons v Falcons, EP Elephants v Griquas. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

Later in 2025, Griquas stunned the Lions 27-25 to claim their first Currie Cup title in 55 years, with veteran flyhalf George Whitehead slotting the winning penalty after the hooter.

While EP coach Allister Coetzee has called for a cash injection to turn things around Gqeberha, Griquas are not hampered by similar financial constraints.

In a move that will promote continuity, Griquas have extended the contract of their successful coach, Pieter Bergh, until the end of 2029.

Bergh is a man with a plan, and Griquas have reaped the benefits of his tactical awareness and player management since his appointment in 2021.

“My dream for this union is to win a Currie Cup on our home ground,” Bergh said.

“It was great to do it at Ellis Park [over the Lions], but my dream is to win a Currie Cup at home in Kimberley. I feel we have an established coaching team. We hope to finalise their contracts soon so they can walk this path with me,” he said.

“It’s great that top management has bought into this vision, and it was actually an easy decision for me [to stay].”

Before taking over as head coach, Bergh served as an assistant at Griquas and later made a name for himself as the head coach of the CUT Ixias in the Varsity Cup

“From a rugby perspective, we’ve built something special in Kimberley,” he said.

“We have a settled coaching team and a settled squad, and we were fortunate to have success last season without losing many players, which isn’t something that usually happens at Griquas.

“That speaks to the culture we’re building.”

Bergh said: “A few years ago, we set out a vision to become the best non-URC team in South Africa, and every day we’re working towards that.

EP’s Elephants showed fighting character and resilience when they fought back from being 17-0 down in the first half to clinch a much-needed 43-31 victory over the Leopards in Potchefstroom on Saturday, coach Allister Coetzee said. On the way to their first SA Cup win of the season, a determined EP side had to dig deep after they were on the receiving end of a yellow card and later a 20-minute red card during a hard-fought showdown Though it took the EP until the fifth round to put an elusive “W” behind their name, the men in red and black hoops rose to the occasion to grab the points against a combative side who are difficult to beat on their home patch. This had been a must-win game for the Elephants after an earlier run of SA Cup defeats against the Falcons, Pumas, SWD Eagles and Cheetahs. The victory could not have come at a more opportune time for the Elephants, whose next assignment is against a high-flying Griquas side at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday (kickoff 5pm). “This win in Potchefstroom was important for us,” Coetzee said. “EP can only build on this result, and it was a tough game. “We got off to a bad start again, but the players really fought back after we were 17-0 down after 23 minutes. “The guys then clawed themselves into the lead for the first time just before halftime when we went 19-17 ahead.” Flying EP wing Mpho Ntsane scored three tries, and there were also five pointers for Damon Royle, Garth April, Buhle Njekwa and Dandre Delport. Fly-half April booted three conversions and replacement No 10 Maxwell Klaasen one to complete EP’s points tally. “Playing with 14 men for 30 minutes was a tough ask, yet we came through and won convincingly in the end,” Coetzee said. “Unfortunately, we had two yellow cards, and the second yellow led to a 20-minute red card for Mpho. “One was deemed to be a deliberate knock-on early in the game, which resulted in a yellow card in the first 15 minutes of the game. “The second yellow card was during a contestable kick incident in the second half. “Mpho contested in the air and made contact, and it was really just a rugby incident.” EP will hope to take confidence from the Leopards’ win into their next game against the unbeaten Griquas, who top the table with a full house of 25 points after five rounds. They stayed on the winning track with a vital 24-14 away win over the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington on Saturday. The Cheetahs moved into the top four thanks to a runaway 57-10 win over the Griffons in Welkom. The Free Staters were under pressure to deliver a victory to keep their hopes of a top-four SA Cup finish and a berth in the Currie Cup Premier Division alive. Border’s nightmare start continued when they were hammered 94-5 by the Pumas at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in KuGompo City. The Bulldogs, who have leaked 315 points, have yet to earn a log point and are rooted to the bottom of the 10-team SA Cup log. Weekend results: Falcons 40 SWD Eagles 43 Griffons 10 Cheetahs 57 Boland Cavaliers 14 Griquas 24; Border Bulldogs 5 Pumas 94 Leopards 31 EP Elephants 43 Log (all teams have played five matches): Griquas 25 Pumas 22 SWD Eagles 22 Cheetahs 18 Boland Cavaliers 15 Griffons 10 Falcons 9 EP Elephants 7 Leopards 7 Border Bulldogs 0 Weekend fixtures: Pumas vs Leopards Boland Cavaliers vs Border Bulldogs SWD Eagles vs Cheetahs Griffons vs Falcons EP Elephants vs Griquas Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“The management has fully bought into that vision, and we’re all aligned and moving in the same direction. Now it’s about building on our success in 2025 and striving for even more in the near future.”

Last weekend’s results left Griquas sitting pretty at the top of the standings with 25 points from five wins.

They are followed by defending champion Pumas, who moved to 22 points alongside SWD, who are third because of a weaker points difference.

Weekend fixtures:

Friday: Pumas v Leopards.

Saturday: Boland Cavaliers v Border Bulldogs, SWD Eagles v Cheetahs, Griffons v Falcons, EP Elephants v Griquas.

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