Flyhalf George Whitehead wrote his name in the Currie Cup history books when he kicked the winning points for Griquas to defeat the Lions 27-25 in another dramatic final staged at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts held a 17-14 advantage at the halfway stage.
Drama-filled finale
Last year, a long-range penalty goal after the hooter denied the team from Johannesburg a first cup success since 2015, and on Saturday, in a drama-filled finale on a bright highveld afternoon, Griquas clinched their first title since 1970 when they fought their way back to snatch glory at the death.
This victory ended a 55-year drought for the tenacious Griquas, who were denied in the 2022 final by the Pumas on their home turf in Kimberley.
The Lions and their supporters thought they had finally got their hands on the coveted trophy when replacement flyhalf Lubabalo Dobela landed a penalty goal with a minute left on the clock, putting them 25-24 ahead after the visitors took the lead a few minutes earlier with their third try.
However, in a dramatic twist of events, Griquas got their hands on the ball after the restart and moments later, despite losing possession, referee Christopher Allison called for a TMO review of an earlier incident, which showed a deliberate slap-down of the ball by a Lions defender.
From the resultant penalty, the ever-reliable Whitehead stepped up to send the ball through the middle of the uprights to break Lions’ hearts for an incredible second time in two seasons, much like the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV did last year at the same ground.
Strong start
In the first half, the Lions fought their way back into the match following a strong start by the men from Kimberley.
The Highvelders were pushed back in their own territory by ferocious defence, and the home side made matters difficult for themselves by committing several handling errors.
Griquas drew first blood when fullback Cameron Hufke scooped up a loose ball after kicking it ahead from a Lions mistake, to score near the posts and hand his team a 7-0 lead.
At that stage, the hosts struggled to get their hands on the ball, and it was no surprise when they opted for a field goal rather than an attacking lineout, which Chris Smith slotted to make it 7-3.
The Lions went ahead 10 minutes later after a great run by wing Kelly Mpeku, who dotted down their first try of the afternoon after a successful counter-attack, started by Smith, who had no difficulty converting to put his side 10-7 ahead.
But Griquas struck back when loose forward Lourens Oosthuizen barged his way over for their second try of the afternoon from a tap penalty, which saw the visitors reclaim the lead at 14-10. In between, the Lions had to repel several attacks from Griquas, with only desperate defence saving them on two occasions.
The Gauteng outfit scored their second try through lanky centre Richard Kriel, who sliced his way through the midfield defence to score near the uprights. Smith’s second conversion handed his team a slight but deserved 17-14 half-time lead.
Favourable bounce
A Whitehead penalty goal drew the teams level again at 17-all early in the second half, but the Lions scored straight from the restart when outside centre Henco van Wyk caught a favourable bounce to dot down their third try of the afternoon, edging them into a 22-17 lead.
The game was in the balance but the scoreboard stayed unchanged for a while, and with less than 10 minutes to go, Griquas worked their way back into the Lions’ 22m area. Their forwards launched several attacks at the line before the ball was sent backwards, where inside centre Mnombo Zwelendaba ran a hard line to burst over. Whitehead added the extras to regain the lead.
Dylan Maart then showed that his defence is as good as his attacking prowess when he pulled off a brilliant try-saving tackle to stop Angelo Davids in full flight with less than five minutes left on the clock.
A wave of attacks gained the Lions a penalty just outside the Griquas’ 22m area. Dobela, who came on to replace the injured Smith – sent the Ellis Park crown into raptures when he landed the penalty goal to put the hosts 25-24 ahead with less than a minute remaining.
But then disaster struck as Lions lock Ruan Delport was judged to have slapped the ball down deliberately, giving Whitehead the chance to kick the winning points.
Whitehead, Griquas’ ace-kicker and points machine, raised his hands well before the assistant referees lifted their flags as his brilliant strike sailed high through the uprights to earn Griquas their first Currie Cup triumph since 1970, proving once more the magic of the world’s oldest domestic rugby competition.
SCORERS
Lions
Tries: Kelly Mpeku, Richard Kriel, Henco van Wyk
Conversions: Chris Smith (2)
Penalties: Smith, Lubabalo Dobela.
Griquas
Tries: Cameron Hufke, Lourens Oosthuizen, Mnombo Zwelendaba
Conversions: George Whitehead (3)
Penalties: Whitehead (2)
