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Griquas (rugby union)

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Griquas
Full nameGriquas
UnionGriqualand West Rugby Union
Nickname(s)Poubloues (Peacock Blues)
Emblem(s)Oryx
Founded1886
RegionNorthern Cape Province, South Africa
Ground(s)Griqua Park (Capacity: 11,000[1])
Coach(es)Pieter Bergh
Captain(s)Niel Otto
League(s)Currie Cup
20237th
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.griquasrugby.co.za
Current season

Griquas (known as the Suzuki Griquas for sponsorship reasons)[2] are a South African professional rugby union team based in Kimberley in Northern Cape, that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. Their home ground is Griqua Park in Kimberley and they draw their players mostly from Northern Cape Province. They have won the Currie Cup three times – in 1899, 1911 and 1970 – and the Vodacom Cup a joint-record five times.

History

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The rugby team was established in 1886 in the then British colony of Griqualand West. Five years later, during the 1891 British Lions tour to South Africa, Griqualand West played the British Lions in Kimberley. Although they lost 3–0, the British presented the team with the Currie Cup, as they thought that Griqualand West produced the best performance out of the provincial games on their tour.[3] The Currie Cup became South Africa's domestic prize, and Griqualand West first won it in 1899. Griqualand West subsequently won the Currie Cup again in 1911. After the introduction of official annual championships in 1969, Griqualand West won the final the next season, defeating Northern Transvaal 11–9 to claim their third title. Since then, Griquas have not won the Currie Cup.[4]

The majority of Griquas supporters hail from the Northern Cape province of South Africa, most notably in and around Kimberley, where the team plays their home games. Their traditional rivals are Western Province, a rivalry that stems back to the earliest days of the Currie Cup, when Griqualand West were a dominant force in South African rugby. Since the 1970s, a friendly rivalry has also developed with neighbours the Free State Cheetahs in what has become known as the 'central derby'. Griquas are nicknamed the "Peacock Blues".[5]

Current squad

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The following players have been included so far in the Griquas squad for the 2023 Currie Cup Premier Division:[6]

Griquas Currie Cup squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wingers

Fullbacks

(c) Denotes team captain and Bold denotes internationally capped.

Honours

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Major Honours

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Minor Honours

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  • Airlink Cup 2023 [1]

Finals

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Currie Cup

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Griquas have won the Currie Cup three times, and have been losing finalists once:

Season Winners Score Runner-up Venue
18991 Griqualand West n/a n/a n/a
1911 Griqualand West n/a n/a n/a
1970 Griqualand West 11–9 Northern Transvaal De Beers Stadium, Kimberley
2022 Pumas 26-19 Griquas Griqua Park, Kimberley

1 Western Province and Transvaal did not compete.

They were defeated in the semi-finals in 1998, 2019 and 2021.

SA Cup

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Griquas have won the SA Cup one time.

Season Winners Score Runner-up Venue
2024 Griquas 46–24 Pumas Kimberley

Vodacom Cup

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Griquas have won the Vodacom Cup five times, and been defeated in the final three times.

Season Winners Score Runner-up Venue
1998 Griquas 33–29 Blue Bulls Kimberley
1999 Golden Lions 73-7 Griquas Johannesburg
2000 Cheetahs 44-24 Griquas Bloemfontein
2005 Griquas 27–25 Leopards Kimberley
2007 Griquas 57–0 Golden Lions Kimberley
2009 Griquas 28–19 Blue Bulls Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
2012 Western Province 20-18 Griquas Griqua Park, Kimberley
2014 Griquas 30–6 Golden Lions Griqua Park, Kimberley
[edit]
  • "Official website". Griquas Rugby. Retrieved 15 January 2014.

References

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  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "Suzuki Griquas Rugby Union". Suzuki Griquas. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Absa Currie Cup undergoes ultimate makeover". Bulls. 8 August 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Currie Cup Finals History". SuperSport. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Lions storm to victory over Griquas". SuperSport. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Match Centre". SA Rugby. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
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