Pieter Bergh is happy for Griquas players to accept any loan deals with Vodacom United Rugby Championship teams in order to play more regularly.
The men from Kimberley were knocked out of the 2023 Currie Cup last week after defending champions, the Pumas, did the double over Griquas with a win in a rematch of last season’s final.
They finished the 14-match round-robin stages of the competition second from the bottom on the standings following seven wins, six losses and a draw.
The Pumas and Griquas are not eligible to compete in the URC or EPCR competitions, and are unlikely to play competitively again until 2024.
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Quoted in a report on Netwerk24, head coach Bergh spoke candidly about the struggles for players from the smaller unions to remain active and prepare for their next campaign.
“It’s important that we get more series to play in. We need a competition at the end of the year,” he said.
“Not the Toyota Challenge series, a competition in which we can compete and not just play a single game for prize money. We have to get rugby.
“If we don’t play any rugby until March, we will be prepared to let some of our players play in the URC if there are teams interested in loaning our players.
“It’ll be difficult to do seven months of pre-season in Kimberley. If we can get opportunities for our players, whether it is overseas or in South Africa, we will definitely consider it.”
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