Currie Cup final: ‘My heart is with Griquas, but I’d love for Jimmy to win, too’

What a final awaits! Who would have thought at the start of the Currie Cup season that we’d see Griquas and the Pumas playing for the most sought-after trophy in South African rugby?

I’m thrilled to see these two teams in the final, but before I touch on that, I’d like to reflect on last week’s semifinals.

It was really a weekend for the underdogs. Both away teams, Griquas and the Pumas, came out on top – not something you see too often in the Currie Cup playoffs.

I was fortunate enough to be in the Griquas camp before their match against the Bulls (handing out the jerseys to the players, as a former player and captain of the team) and I realised what a special team Griquas are. The last time I touched that jersey was in my playing days, in 2011, when on loan from the Lions.

We missed out on the semis that year by a log point, and it hurt. It was the same in 2009.

‘My heart is with Griquas’

What Griquas have achieved this year, with Pieter Bergh as coach and a bunch of young players in the squad, many of whom were still at school or playing varsity rugby two years ago, is impressive.

Of course, my heart is with Griquas this week; I really want them to win.

On the other hand, I look at Jimmy Stonehouse, a guy who’s stuck around at the Pumas for years, a guy who’s never got a shot at a higher level, a guy who is the epitome of what rugby is about, of loyalty and values, and I’d love for him to be triumphant, too.

I will be in Kimberley as a commentator on Saturday, so no matter how the game goes and no matter who wins the Currie Cup, my heart will be happy. It’s a difficult one to call, because both teams play a similar type of game, so it will really be about who uses their opportunities best on the day.

URC final

Then, let me reflect on last Saturday’s URC final in Cape Town. Wow, what a game.

For 50 minutes the Bulls were in control, and dominating, they had a clear plan in place and it was working a treat. Then, they deviated slightly, and bang, the Stormers pounced.

In hindsight, the Stormers were brilliant. Interestingly, some of their biggest performers were players written off elsewhere – men like Hacjivah Dayimani (Lions), Manie Libbok (Bulls/Sharks), Warrick Gelant (Bulls) and some others, possibly considered too old, like Deon Fourie and Brok Harris, who were huge throughout the campaign.

I hope now that the Stormers can find stability in the boardroom, and get some big financial backing so they can grow their squad, and move on to greater heights.

To wrap up, I think the first season of the URC was great. It was good for our teams; they had to learn and adapt as they went on and the players and coaches, too, would have taken plenty out of playing against European teams, here and abroad. SA rugby will be stronger for it and that’s a huge positive.