The Windhoek Draught Griquas have secured another international friendly match, this time against neighbours Namibia’s Welwitschia XV
THE WINDHOEK Draught Griquas have secured another international friendly match, this time against neighbours Namibia’s Welwitschia XV, who they will play in the eighth instalment of the Hage Geingob Cup on November 5 in Windhoek.
Griquas are currently riding the crest of a superb win in the current edition of the Toyota Challenge rugby championship, being hosted by the Free State Rugby Union with matches taking place at Bloemfontein’s Toyota Rugby Stadium.
The announcement of the launch of the Hage Geingob Cup was relayed last Tuesday on the Griquas Facebook page, complete with pictures of the event.
The communique was issued on the day Griquas made their second appearance, this time against the Bulls XV, in the five-team, month-long Toyota Challenge tournament last Wednesday.
Griquas second match in the Toyota Challenge was a thrilling 41-7 affair that saw the Diamond City team subdue a Blue Bulls second string side.
Griquas, otherwise aka ‘Kwaste’ had a humbling outing in their tournament opener against Emerging Ireland XV who, much against the expectation of local fans, turned the tables on the local favourites and handed them a massive 54-7 drubbing. Griquas next match in the series will be on October 21 in Bloemfontein in a game scheduled away from the searing heat at 7pm.
The emergence of yet another international game for Griquas might well signal the start of a new chapter for the Peacock Blues in terms of them now being able to match their skills against teams beyond the borders of South Africa, especially the very popular domestic Currie Cup series.
Griquas, along with fellow central SA franchise team the Cheetahs, have been left out of the mouthwatering, high adrenaline United Rugby Championship (URC) which hosts a slew of international rugby matches on a home and away basis.
The Toyota Challenge is but a short-term, stopgap measure to plug the void of international matches for the central region teams as well as to placate the domestic league teams not selected to participate in the URC games.
According to the tournament communique, the latest international rugby tournament for Griquas was made possible by the foresight of Namibian Breweries whose flagship product Windhoek Draught bankrolls both the Welwitschias XV and Griquas.
