Defending Currie Cup champs Pumas overpower Griquas to book semi-final place

The Pumas must love playing in Kimberley.

After winning the Currie Cup there last year, the men from Mbombela again beat Griquas 27-17 at Windhoek Draught Park in a shootout for this year’s semi-finals.

Only one of them was going to make it across the line into the last four and it proved to be Jimmy Stonehouse’s men getting the better of Pieter Bergh’s charges.

RECAP | Pumas 27-17 Griquas

Griquas scored the first try of the match through former SA Under-20 flyhalf Lubabalo Dobela, who cut through the Pumas defence to score unbothered under the sticks.

But the hosts were fallible most right after scoring and conceded almost from kick-off at the other end when Pumas lock Deon Slabbert profited from a backline move that led to No 13 Diego Appollis feeding him on the inside to score.

That meant the sides went into the tunnel at half-time even at 10 each.

The same script played out early in the second half when Griquas flyhalf Dobela scathed through the Pumas again but slipped flanker Thabo Ndimande through to score and take them to the lead at 17-10 four minutes in.

Again Griquas failed to hold onto the lead for long as seven minutes later Francois Kleinhans bulldozed through a pile to score and square matters once more.

The defending champions wrested the game’s momentum for the next 10 quarter, camping inside Griquas territory but could only make away with three penalty points from Tinus de Beer’s boot in that period.

But the sustained Pumas pressure told less than five minutes from time when replacement back Wian Van Niekerk capitalised on No 8 Kwanda Dimaza’s good work to score the killer try.

In Welkom, the Lions got a bonus-point 32-22 win over the Griffons to keep their slim hopes of a semi-final place alive.

The Lions’ win