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The Citizen
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Pumas and Griquas to battle it out for SA Cup title
The great rivalry between the Pumas and Griquas hits another level as they again battle it out in the SA Cup final this weekend. The Pumas and Griquas in action during their SA Cup pool match earlier this season. The two teams will contest the final on Saturday. Picture: Johan Orton/Gallo Images A cracking 2025 SA Cup final is on the cards as fierce rivals the Pumas and competition defending champs Griquas are set to battle it out for the title at the Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela on Saturday evening (kick-off 6:30pm). Although it is a lower division title, with none of the country's big four, the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers and Lions taking part, it is still an important trophy for the teams bubbling under, while the competition is also used as qualification for the Currie Cup, with the top four ranked teams making it in. That saw the two finalists, plus the third and fourth placed Cheetahs and Boland Kavaliers respectively, joining the big four in the country's premier franchise competition, set to kick off towards the end of July. This weekend's finale could have been very different after two thrilling semifinals were battled out last weekend that just went the way of the hosts by very small margins. The Pumas edged the Kavaliers 31-29, after they were reduced to 12 men in the second half holding a 25-10 lead, which allowed the visitors to fight back and go ahead 29-25, before two late penalties snuck the hosts back in front for the win. The Griquas and Cheetahs battled out a breathtaking encounter, both teams taking the lead and drawing level on numerous occasions, leading to the scores being locked at 38-all with just over 10 minutes left. Home captain George Whitehead then nailed a long range penalty to get them back ahead, which proved to be enough thanks to a terrific defensive effort at the death, including holding a Cheetahs player up over the line to secure the win. Fantastic rivalry The Pumas and Griquas will now continue their fantastic recent rivalry that has seen both sides triumph over the other in major finals. In 2022 it was the Pumas that stunned the Griquas on their home ground in the Currie Cup final, clinching a 26-19 win to lift the country's oldest trophy for the first time. In the 2023 Currie Cup the Pumas beat the Griquas 28-13 and 27-17 in the pool phase, as they made it to the playoffs and finished as runners-up to the Cheetahs. The SA Cup was then launched in 2024, and the Griquas got their revenge, beating the Pumas 31-26 in the pool stage and 46-24 in the final to lift the inaugural title. But the Pumas bounced back in the 2024 Currie Cup, thumping the Griquas 44-24 and 66-26, while they are unbeaten in this year's SA Cup, beating their rivals 39-34 in the pool stage, to take a three game winning run into the final. A top encounter is thus in the offering and it could become a scintillating battle that goes right down to the wire to see who will emerge victorious.
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Springboks' reign sparks rugby rivalries and frustrations
Rugby powers debate the dominance of the Springboks and the struggle of Irish and other teams to reclaim glory. The Springboks will soon be back in action. Picture: Johan Orton/Gallo Images As the last of the grey-haired, going-to-seed men walked into the wood-panelled meeting room, security men closed the heavy teak doors and locked them, muting the sound of Dublin's traffic outside. As a butler moved to pull down the blinds on the windows, an Australian voice rang out: 'Hang on, mate! It's bloody bad enough that you can only tell the difference between summer and winter here because the rain's warmer in summer… but now you want to cut out all the light. I'm from Brisbane and we go bonkers without sunlight!' A beefy, dusky complexioned man joined in: 'I'm from Christchurch and this makes me feel right at home! You Aussies just whinge the whole time because the Bledisloe Cup keeps going back to Noo Zilland…' The chairman rapped his gavel on the broad, polished table: 'Gentlemen please! We have more important things to discuss than the weather, to be sure…' On cue, Mr O'Mahoney adjusted his shamrock tie and stood up: 'We would not be here if we did not all accept that the current situation in world rugby cannot be allowed to continue. ALSO READ: Proteas management join Springboks at alignment camp 'Sure, 'tis us who have suffered most grievously because, so long as the Pope is a Catholic the natural order of things should be that Ireland wins at least one World Cup.' Rutherford-Jones fiddled with his finely-tooled leather file folder, emblazoned with the red rose and thought better about saying something… in this changed world even the bloody Irish had human rights, he realised. Still, he nodded too, because even England had been hurting – perhaps not as much as the micks in green, but then even English pride was superior to its Irish equivalent. Across the table, Jean-Pierre nodded morosely, as did Diego. Taffy Jones interjected: ' If I may speak on behalf of Wales and Scotland – if you don't mind Jimmy – as well as Italy if that's okay, Tomasso, may I say that even though people think of us sometimes as spectators or also-rans, we have a long and fine tradition of the game in our countries. And if the Webb Ellis Cup continues to stay in South Africa, then our youngsters are going to drift away to football, heaven help us!' ALSO READ: Former New Zealand captain Sam Cane named for Barbarians A morose silence descended. 'It didn't work, did it?' said the former All Black. 'I knew you could never trust a golfer to follow through on a promise and to think we gave him a gold-plated Caribbean cruising yacht!' The Irish rugby supremo stood up. 'Why the bloody hell didn't Trump make the offer more attractive to the refugees? – scholarships and Lear Jets don't cost that much …' He added: 'There should have been tens of thousands of refugees by now… there would have been no-one left to put together a Boozer's League Second Team, never mind a Springbok one. That would have given us all a fighting chance.' From France, Jean-Pierre nodded: 'We've tried to keep them more than a few seasons but, even with our women, they always want to go home…' ALSO READ: Willemse misses Stormers playoff, and maybe a Bok game too… Not a great fan of the French, Bruce from Brisbane chipped in: 'Let's face it mate, you lot don't speak very good English – the Afrikaners are much better. 'And well, let's just say both your women and your wine are overrated…' Taffy jumped in to stop the fist flying: 'Get Elon on the Starlink! 'He can offer them each a Tesla to defect to us. That'll work.' There was a sigh and Tomasso said: 'No, it won't. They're used to living without electricity and they say a steak is always better on a braai…'
The Citizen
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Springbok Test tickets to go on sale: Everything you need to know
At this stage the Boks will play six Tests in South Africa this season. The Springboks will soon be back in action. Picture: Johan Orton/Gallo Images The current two-time World Cup winning Springboks will be back in action in early July and SA Rugby have announced when tickets for their home matches will go on sale. The Boks haven't been in action on SA soil for nearly 10 months, but will take on Italy in two Tests and then Georgia in a one-off game before turning their attention to the Rugby Championship. At this stage, Rassie Erasmus' World Cup winners from 2019 and 2023 will play six Tests in South Africa this year. July Tests The two matches in July against Italy are in Pretoria and Gqeberha, while the outing against Georgia is in Mbombela. Tickets for these three matches will go on sale on Friday 16 May. Tickets will be available exclusively from Ticketmaster. Details of an additional home match against the Barbarians will also be announced shortly. This match is tentatively being planned for late June or late July. Rugby Championship Tests Tickets for the Boks' home matches in their defence of the Rugby Championship title will go on sale one month later, on Friday, 13 June. The Boks take on Australia in two home Tests in the Rugby Championship in August, in Joburg and Cape Town and then host Argentina in Durban in late September. Springbok home Tests 2025: July Tests 5 July: South Africa vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld (Pretoria) 12 July: South Africa vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Gqeberha) 19 July: South Africa vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium (Nelspruit) Rugby Championship 16 August: South Africa vs Australia, Ellis Park (Johannesburg) 23 August: South Africa Australia, Cape Town Stadium (Cape Town) 27 September: South Africa vs Argentina, Kings Park (Durban)
