The Griffons will have their work cut out when they take the field against the Jaguares XV in the Currie Cup First Division final on Friday.
The Jaguares XV set the field alight with their fine attacking play in the competition, registering bonus-point victories in all of their games to top the standings for a home semi-final and home final in Potchefstroom.
The Griffons, in turn, won three and drew three of their pool matches, but they made a strong statement in their semi-final against the EP Elephants last week with a comprehensive 62-31 victory.
The Jaguares XV have been superior on attack and defence, scoring 75 tries and conceding 148 points to the Griffons’ 42 tries scored and 230 points conceded.
But with the title on the line and the Valke having proved in the semi-final last week that the Jaguares XV are not invincible after they fell short by only eight points, their form up to now will have no significance for the men from Welkom, who know what it takes to win the title after lifting the trophy in 2017 and 2016 – the latter away from home – in recent years.
The Northern Free Staters will also be inspired by their narrow 50-43 defeat of the Argentinians in the pool stages of the competition. The Argentinians, however, will be determined to build on their impressive form and complete their first season in the competition on a memorable note with a clean sweep of victories.
The First Division final will be preceded by the U20 Championship final between defending champions the Griffons and EP Elephants, who will both have their eyes on a dream season after advancing to the final unbeaten.
The U20 Championship final will kick off at 3:30pm and the Currie Cup First Division final at 6:15pm. Both matches will be broadcast on SuperSport 1.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
