Elephants need quality players to achieve success, says Bergh

If the struggling EP Elephants want to achieve the level of success their coaches, supporters and management crave, they must recruit high-quality players to boost their squad, Griquas coach Pieter Bergh says.

Bergh made the assessment after a second-half try-scoring blitz powered his Currie Cup-winning team to a 52-9 win over EP at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

The Elephants were still in the fight at halftime when they trailed 14-9, but Griquas turned on the after-burners in the second half to stretch their winning SA Cup streak to six matches.

“You can see the structures are there with this EP team, and you can see what Allister Coetzee (head coach) and Matt Proudfoot (forwards coach) are trying to do,” Bergh said.

“A good coach is not enough.

“You need good players and you need to hold onto these players and build a team.

“You also need continuity.

A sizzling second-half try-scoring spree powered SA Cup log-leaders Griquas to a runaway 52-9 win over the EP Elephants at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday. EP were still in the fight at halftime when they trailed 14-9, but Griquas moved through the gears in the second half to stretch their winning streak to six matches. Frustrated EP coach Allister Coetzee said three yellow cards — which resulted in his team playing with 13 men at one stage in the second half — had proved to be a crippling blow. EP held a narrow 9-7 lead with time running out in the first half before referee Lulutho Matomela awarded a penalty try to Griquas and yellow-carded Elephants lock Athenkosi Khetani. This sequence of events turned the tide in the favour of the visitors, who took full advantage in the second half, scoring seven unanswered tries. “The big blow for us was the yellow cards, and it is impossible to play against the Currie Cup champions with 13 men,” Coetzee said. “While we were down to 13 men, Griquas took advantage, and they punished us with their experience and quick outside backs. “EP’s players put their bodies on the line, but it was discipline and lost opportunities that let us down badly. “When we were in the Griquas half, we turned the ball over for no reason. “The Elephants were clinical and tactical in the first half, and Griquas did not expect us to play like that. “I will have to look at why we received the yellow cards. “Was it defensive pressure, or was it conceding effort penalties by not rolling out of the way, a high tackle, fighting or doing clumsy things? “We need to look at how we can fix that.” Coetzee praised his team for their scrumming and mauling against a physical Griquas outfit. “Griquas have already put up massive scores against Currie Cup First Division sides in the SA Cup this season,” he said. “What I take from this is how we competed at set pieces against them. “It is not like Griquas went and scored maul tries galore against us. “I can’t ask more from the players in terms of physicality. “Griquas’ outside backs are quick athletes, and once you turn it over, you get punished, and that was a big lesson for us. “That is where we need to grow and to kill the ball when we turn it over and also be more accurate.” Coetzee said the fitness of captain and lock Mzwanele Zito (AC joint injury) and loose forward Damon Royle (groin) were in doubt before Friday’s match against the Border Bulldogs at the Madibaz Stadium. The clash has been moved from NMB Stadium to the Nelson Mandela University campus because the Sanzaar U-20 Rugby Championship tournament will be played at NMB Stadium from April 27 to May 9. “Zito and Royle are big players for us, and we will assess both injuries during the week,” Coetzee said. “A positive for us is that loan players Dandre Delport [hooker] and Jac van der Walt [loose forward] will be eligible to play against Border. “They are on loan to us from Griquas, and the deal was they did not want them to be included in our lineup on Saturday.” Scorers: EP Elephants 9: Penalties: Maxwell Klaasen (3). Griquas 52: Tries: Cameron Hufke (2), Keagan Blackenberg, Sako Makata, Carel van der Merwe, Dylan Maart, Gurswin Wehr, and a penalty try (worth seven points). Conversions: Liam Koen (2), George Whitehead (3). Other scores: Pumas 85 Leopards 0, Boland Cavaliers 74 Border Bulldogs 5, SWD Eagles 17 Cheetahs 26, Griffons 36 Falcons 68. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“What Heyneke Meyer (head coach at the SWD Eagles) has done is to put together a whole new squad in six months that can compete.

“EP do lack a bit of quality, but the structure is there

“I was very concerned about this game, and the first half showed what EP can do.

“You don’t have two or three years to build a team; you have to get it right quickly.

“You can see there is progress (at EP), but you need good players as well.”

Bergh said EP dominated the kicking game in the first half, which had forced Griquas to change their strategy at halftime.

“I thought EP dominated the kicking game in the first half and almost played a Test match type of game where they kicked a lot of contestables and tried to turn us around at every opportunity they got, and we lost the aerial battle.

EP’s Elephants must hang tough and stay in the fight for as long as possible if they want to defy the odds and pull off an upset win over Griquas in an SA Cup clash in Gqeberha on Saturday. The Elephants cannot afford a slow start against a livewire Griquas outfit who will pounce on every opportunity at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (kickoff 5pm). The high-flying Kimberley outfit are unbeaten after five matches and have a full house of 25 log points after running in 53 tries. EP have won only one of their opening five matches and are in eighth spot on the 10-team log. In a bid to galvanise home crowd support, EPRU Grand Challenge club rugby matches have been put on hold in a bid to boost Saturday’s attendance. “Griquas have a big pack and we can expect an onslaught up front,” EP coach Allister Coetzee said. “EP have not been overpowered up front by any of the big teams we have played in the SA Cup. “The challenge against Griquas is that they play with a lot of width and they will test us defensively because they have sprinters out wide. Griquas have a very quick back three, so we will be tested there. We know Griquas are a good side, but it is our home game and we will give it our best shot.” 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 in Potchefstroom and EP were very good at cutting out mistakes,” he 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. “I was happy with the win and the performance delivered by the guys. It was an important victory, and we have to build on it against Griquas. The game against the Leopards showed the character of this EP team to always fight to the end.” Griquas coach Pieter Bergh has warned his team EP will be a tough nut to crack on their home turf. “EP are a better team than the log maybe suggests. They were 17-0 down against the Leopards away from home this past weekend and came back to score 43 points and win comfortably,” he said. Playing away from home in a 5pm game in Gqeberha, if you’re not switched on they have the players, coaches and systems to hurt you. We have to make sure we’re ready for that “They’ll take a lot of confidence from that comeback. They also have an experienced international coaching staff with Allister Coetzee and [forwards coach] Matt Proudfoot. You can see the structure they have and the improvements they’ve made. “Playing away from home in a 5pm game in Gqeberha, if you’re not switched on they have the players, coaches and systems to hurt you. We have to make sure we’re ready for that. “Griquas do have a few injuries this week so we had to make a few changes. After a hard, physical game against Boland it’s always good to bring in some fresh faces and energy. “Tiaan Lange is being rested after doing really well for us. Keagan Blackenberg has also been working incredibly hard and he deserves this opportunity. He joined us from Western Province and he’s really enjoying it here.” 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 v Leopards; 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

“Griquas did not get any territory so the message at halftime was if can we just start winning those small little kicking battles, and get field position and territory, then we can strangle them

“I thought that penalty try just before halftime started to change things for us.

“We said we have to break EP down and force some bad kicks and get some counter-attacks going

“And that is what happened in the second half.

‘We strangled EP and got scrums, lineout dominance and territory which allowed us to apply pressure."

Bergh said Griquas’ ambition is to be the best non-United Rugby Championship side in SA.

“There are talks of Griquas playing in an international competition and hopefully something will be announced shortly,” he said.

“I can’t say which tournament yet.

“Our ambition is to be the best non-URC team in SA, and that is not just based on performance.

“It will also be based on our team culture, finances and how the union is run and how we look after our players.

“When the opportunity becomes available to play in an overseas competition, we want to be ready.

“Griquas want to show we deserve an opportunity to play at that level.

“We don’t look too far ahead, and we need another win to qualify for the Currie Cup Premier Division.

“Hopefully we can get that win as soon as possible.

Towering lock Riley Norton will lead the Junior Springbok into battle at the third edition of Sanzaar’s U20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha from April 27 to May 9. The tournament, featuring teams from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina, will be played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on three match days (April 27 and May 3 and 9). Junior Bok head coach Kevin Foote has included four members of the SA U20 squad that won the Junior World Championship in Italy in 2025, as well as several of the most promising young local rugby talents. Apart from Norton, Siphosethu Mnebelele, Oliver Reid and Vusi Moyo were members of the successful Junior Bok side of last year. They are joined in the squad by Markus Muller, Ethan Adams (both centres), Gert Kemp (No 8) and Kai Pratt (prop), all of whom played for the SA U-18 side last year. The Junior Bok squad was picked from the SA U20 training group who had been preparing for the forthcoming Sanzaar event in Stellenbosch for the past two weeks. Cheswill Jooste (wing) and Zekhethelo Siyaya (fullback) were placed on standby pending their duties in the United Rugby Championship, along with Jade Muller and Akahluwa Boqwana. Injury also ruled out regular Junior Bok training squad member Luan Giliomee after the Blitzbok utility player sustained a niggle which prevented him from attending the latest training camp. Foote said to reduce the training squad from 43 players to 31 for the tournament had not been easy. “We asked a lot of the group over the past two weeks, because we wanted to step up the intensity and increase their fitness, and they responded splendidly,” he said. “The Junior Boks know from experience that the Southern Hemisphere teams play a high-tempo game, and we are looking forward to playing an exciting brand of rugby with lots of ball in play. “We tailored our camp programme around those focus areas so that we can prepare our players accordingly for what they will encounter in the Rugby Championship. “We also continued to work hard on our cohesion and our game model, and the coaching staff are very pleased with the effort of all the young men. “Unfortunately, we can only take a squad of 31, and so we feel for those players who missed out on final selection. We will fine-tune our final preparations in Gqeberha before our opening match on April 27 against Argentina.” With the Junior World Championship in mind, in June and July in Georgia, the Junior Bok coach said the door was not closed on those players who missed out on selection. Junior Springbok squad: Props: Oliver Reid (Stormers), Rambo Kubheka (Sharks), Jordan Jooste (Stormers), Danie Kruger (Stormers), Kai Pratt (Sharks). Hookers: Siphosethu Mnebelele (Bulls), Liam van Wyk (Sharks). Locks: Heinrich Theron (Bulls), Riley Norton (captain, Stormers), JD Hattingh (Lions), Jaythen Orange (Lions). Loose forwards: Kebotile Maake (Bulls), Risima Khosa (Lions), Luke Canon (Lions), Thomas Beling (Bulls), Wasi Vyambwera (Sharks), Gert Kemp (Stormers). Scrumhalves: Hendré Schoeman (Bulls), Jayden Brits (Stormers). Flyhalves: Yaqeen Ahmed (Stormers), Vusi Moyo (Sharks). Centres: Ethan Adams (Lions), Samuel Badenhorst (Stormers), Markus Muller (Stormers), Olunje Mehlomakulu (Stormers). Outside backs: Khuthadzo Rasivhaga (Sharks), Lindsey Jansen (Bulls), Jack Benade (Stormers), *Jade Muller (Cheetahs), *Akahluwa Boqwana (Bulls), Alzeadon Felix (Sharks), *Cheswill Jooste (Bulls), *Zekhethelo Siyaya (Sharks). Players marked with an asterisk are on standby. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“We want to qualify for the Currie Cup and then try and win the SA Cup, and we also want to defend our Currie Cup title.

“Griquas are in a good position now, but we have the Pumas this week, which is going to be a really tough game in Kimberley.”

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