"Absolute Dominance" - Why this club is the best team in South Africa right now

The Suzuki Griquas turned their Currie Cup semi-final into a one-sided affair on Sunday, beating Fidelity ADT Lions 52–12 at Suzuki Stadium to move into the final. This sees the defending champions return to the finale, with the silverware expected to remain in Kimberly for the foreseeable future.

The result was not simply a win for the defending champions; it was a performance in which Griquas consistently found ways to keep the Lions down, and deny any comeback from behind.

The Kimberley side established an early advantage and used that platform to put the visitors under increasing pressure. The Lions had opportunities to respond, but struggled to build enough continuity to keep Griquas from regaining control.

Griquas’ attack proved particularly difficult to contain. Seven tries eventually made their way onto the home side’s scoresheet, while the Lions could only answer with two.

That difference became more significant as the match progressed. Every time the Lions needed to reduce the deficit, Griquas were able to create another scoring opportunity and stretch the gap again. The Lions did show some resistance, but it was never sustained for long enough to change the direction of the match. Their two tries provided moments of encouragement, but Griquas had already created too much separation on the scoreboard.

The home side also showed composure once the result began to move beyond doubt. Rather than allowing the intensity to drop completely, they continued to look for opportunities and finished with more than 50 points.For the Lions, the defeat brings their Currie Cup campaign to an end at the semi-final stage.

Griquas, meanwhile, have earned another appearance in the competition’s biggest match after successfully defending their home ground when it mattered most.The defending champions now have one final hurdle between themselves and another Currie Cup title. After a 52–12 semi-final victory, Griquas will head into the final knowing that their ability to turn pressure into points has once again carried them through the knockout stage.

TRIES: 7 — Lourens Oosthuizen (2), Marco de Witt, Mnombo Zwelendaba, Stefan Coetzee, Tiaan Lange, Jack Hart.

CONVERSIONS: 7 — George Whitehead (5), Liam Koen (2).

PENALTIES: 1 — Liam Koen.

GRIQUAS: 15 Stefan Coetzee, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Sako Makata, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Bobby Alexander, 8 Carl Els, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Malembe Mpofu, 3 IG Prinsloo, 2 Tiaan Lange, 1 Leon Lyons.

REPLACEMENTS: 16 Janco Uys, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Ntobeko Shezi, 19 Derik Pretorius, 20 Carel van der Merwe, 21 Jack Hart, 22 Liam Koen, 23 Connor Mahoney.

TRIES: 2 — Armand Combrinck, Ethan Adams.

CONVERSIONS: 1 — Matt Coetzee.

YELLOW CARDS: 1 — Haashim Pead.

RED CARDS: 0⁠

LIONS: 15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Keagan Smith, 13 Ethan Adams, 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 11 Latica Nela, 10 Matt Coetzee, 9 Haashim Pead, 8 Jarod Cairns, 7 Renzo du Plessis, 6 Thando Biyela, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Siba Qoma, 3 Ruan Swart, 2 Armand Combrinck, 1 Juan Schoeman.

REPLACEMENTS: 16 Mahle Sithole, 17 Siya Dube, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Dylan Sjoblom, 20 JD Hattingh, 21 Asad Moos, 22 Exauce Kevani, 23 Luke Cannon.