Pumas demolished by determined Griquas
The Pumas strengths were neutralised by intelligent play
The Tafel Lager Griquas executed an almost perfect game plan to outclass the Pumas in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge final at Saldanha Stadium this afternoon.
The Griquas won 28-13 after losing the finals in 2017 and 2018.
The Pumas were outplayed and out-thought in every aspect of the game by a fiercely determined Griquas team.
The boys from Kimberley were masters of their destiny for the entire 80 minutes and the Pumas simply had no answer to their precision play.
George Whitehead, who was superb at fly half and as captain, put Griquas 3-0 up from an off-side penalty after seven minutes.
The first 14 minutes of the match were played in the Pumas half as they could just not get into gear.
The Pumas’ Chris Smith kicked a penalty in the 21st minute to take the score to 3-3.
Griquas fullback, Anthonie Volmink scored in the left corner two minutes later. Former Puma, Khwezi Mona broke the defensive line. The ball went through various phases with the final pass going to Volmink. Whitehead converted.
In the 25th minutes the Pumas’ Devon Williams received a well-timed inside offload from Jeandré Rudolph and cut through for a brilliant try. Smith failed to convert from the right touchline.
Two penalties from the boot of Whitehead gave Griquas a 16-8 half time lead.
While the Pumas needed to come out firing in the second half, it was Griquas who upped their game.
A 53rd minute kickable penalty was booted into touch. Hooker, AJ le Roux scored from the maul formed from the lineout win. Whitehead missed the conversion but Griquas had a demanding 21-8 lead.
Another try by Williams, from a attack which started in the Pumas own half and went through ten phases, took the score to 21-13. The vital but difficult conversion attempt, from the right touch line, from Smith, was unsuccessful.
Griquas scored the salt-in-the-wound rubbing, match and tournament winning try when Eduan Keyter, who came on as a left wing replacement, went over after Whitehead passed blindside from a winning five-metre scrum. The captain and fly half converted from a difficult angle for the final score of 28-13.
Griquas were superior in all aspects of the game and deserved the win.
The Pumas were pummeled in the scrums and with their lineouts kept to a minimum, the Griquas neutralised the Pumas strengths.
The Mpumalanga team made too many unforced errors, poor decisions and gave away too many penalties.
The Griquas created and used their opportunities and were deserved champions. They were hungry and feasted on the Pumas. In the unusual position of being under pressure, the Pumas changed their game plan from kicking and chasing to keeping the ball at hand and running. When the Griquas had an answer for plan B the Pumas had no plan C.
Former Pumas prop Khwezi Mona was brilliant for the Griquas and the man of the match.
