The Griquas and Pumas are chasing a sixth local title between them in the past five years in the Currie Cup and SA Cup.
The Pumas and Griquas in action during the pool stage of the 2026 Currie Cup competition. The two sides will battle it out in the final in Kimberley on Saturday. Picture: Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images
The Griquas and Pumas are looking to continue their superb domination of the local South African rugby scene when they collide in the Currie Cup final at Griqua Park on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).
Since 2022 either the Griquas or the Pumas have featured in three of the four Currie Cup finals, while both teams have battled it out in every final of the SA Cup competition since its inception in 2023.
It’s an incredible achievement from the two teams, who have impressively overtaken the Cheetahs as the best of the rest in the country, after the four SA United Rugby Championship franchises, the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers.
The final is a repeat of the 2022 edition, which the Griquas hosted but were then stunned 26-19 by the Pumas, who lifted the Currie Cup trophy for the first and only time in their history.
In 2023 the Pumas attempted to defend their title but were beaten by the Cheetahs in the final in Bloemfontein.
The following year saw the Sharks overcome the Lions at Ellis Park, while in 2025 it was the Griquas’ turn to upset the odds against the Lions in Johannesburg as a late penalty saw them snatch the win after the fulltime hooter, to secure their fourth Currie Cup title.
Another title
Now both the Griquas and Pumas will be looking to add another title to their collection, and the team from Kimberley will again be favourites in this final.
Griquas have only lost one game in the competition this season, when they were upset by the Stormers in Cape Town in their opener, with them going on to win their next seven straight games, including an impressive 38-14 pool win over the Pumas in Mbombela, and a thumping 52-12 semifinal win over the Lions to power their way into the final.
However, the Pumas cannot be underestimated, as they showed when they triumphed against the odds back in 2022. Also, while they lost three games in this year’s Currie Cup round robin phase, they have started to hit their straps at just the right time.
The Cheetahs had been the second best team behind the Griquas during the pool phase of the competition, but the Pumas smashed them 52-26 in their final pool game in Mbombela two weekends ago, and then recovered from a 10-3 deficit at halftime to stun the central side 27-24 in their semifinal in Bloemfontein last Saturday.
It is thus two in form teams that are set to duke it out in what should be a grandstand Currie Cup final in Kimberley.
The Pumas will also take heart from having already edged the Griquas 38-35 in the final of the SA Cup competition earlier this year to clinch their second title, while the home team will be hunting for a bit of revenge.
