The hosts will be taking nothing for granted despite last week’s impressive performance against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
LAST week the Tafel Lager Griquas put up a determined fight against an intimidating and seasoned Bulls team up north at Loftus Versfeld in their first Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked game of the season.
The Kimberley team took the fight to their more fancied hosts and almost pulled off a huge upset against Jake White’s charges.
This week Griquas will host the Phakisa Pumas at Tafel Lager Park on Saturday afternoon at 4.30pm in their next Super Rugby Unlocked fixture, and they will be taking nothing for granted despite last week’s impressive performance.
Last Saturday, Griquas showed guts and flair, but lost 31-21. This week they have been honing in on damage control, and focusing on getting rid of their mistakes, improving their on-field discipline and working on new skills that will work against the Pumas.
Although Griquas will have a home advantage, they will be without their vocal and enthusiastic supporters in the stands which is not ideal.
Griquas head coach Scott Mathie told the DFA that they pretty much know what to expect from the Pumas. “This will always be an extremely tough and physical encounter. They are known for their mauling so we will need to show the same resolve as we did last weekend in this department.
“We are looking to improve on our discipline as we gave away far too many penalties last weekend. We will also need to keep the ball through multiple phases if we are to be successful this weekend,” said Mathie.
“I’m looking forward to our first home game at Tafel Lager Park, it’s definitely going to be a cracker of a game,” he added.
The match kicks off on Saturday afternoon at 4:30pm and will be broadcast live from Tafel Lager Park on SuperSport.
Tafel Lager Griquas team (15-1): Anthony Volmink, Daniel Kasende, Harlon Klaasen, André Swarts, James Verity-Amm, George Whitehead (c), Zak Burger, Niell Jordaan, Stefan Willemse, Carl Els, Victor Sekekete, Ian Groenewald, John-Roy Jenkinson, HJ Luus, Mox Mxoli. Bench: Alandré van Rooyen, Andrew Beerwinkel, Madot Mabokela, Adre Smith, Zandré Jordaan, Gideon van der Merwe, Ashlon Davids, Berton Klaasen, Mzwanele Zito, Ewan Coetzee, Bjorn Basson.
Other Fixtures
Friday (7pm): Cheetahs vs Bulls – Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein
Saturday (7pm): Stormers vs Lions – DHL Newlands.
