Lions red-hot favourites to win Currie Cup final but Griquas won't lie down

If the Lions cannot beat Griquas in Saturday’s Currie Cup final at Ellis Park, then they might as well shut up shop and abort their imminent United Rugby Championship tour.

The home team is packed with URC stars, including two current Springboks in Quan Horn and Asenathi Ntlabakanye, while the men from Kimberley have big hearts but are journeymen players.

We have seen in this Currie Cup that when the bigger unions introduced their URC players towards the end of the competition, the challenge of the smaller unions collapsed — be it Griquas, the Pumas, the Cheetahs, or Boland. If this game were in Kimberley, Griquas would have a better chance, but losses to the bigger unions, including to the Lions two weeks ago, saw them surrender their pole position on the log.

It is the second successive year that the Gautengers will host the final, and they surely will cash in on the support of their partisan fans. Both teams secured their spot in the decider with convincing semi-final performances. The Lions finished the league phase at the top of the log with five wins from seven matches, and they flexed their muscles in a 67-19 demolition of Boland last weekend.

Griquas, who ended second, booked their final berth with a hard-fought 25-5 win over the Cheetahs in Kimberley. The Lions’ 37-7 defeat of Griquas a fortnight ago will undoubtedly give them a psychological edge, while Griquas will use that outcome as motivation to go one step further and create history.

Looking at the form guide, both teams arrive with strong recent records, as shown by their semi-final successes, with each losing only once in their last five games.

A glance at the history books reveals some interesting facts about the two sides’ final appearances. The Lions boast a far more successful pedigree, having lifted the coveted gold cup 11 times and shared it once, while also finishing as runners-up on 13 occasions, making them one of the competition’s most frequent finalists.

The team from the Diamond City have three wins to their name, the last of which came in 1970, while they were runners-up in 2022. The Lions last won the Currie Cup in 2015 during a memorable run of form, a period in which the Highvelders also made three Super Rugby final appearances.

Griquas will have to page even further back in the history books for their last triumph — 55 years ago. Saturday will mark their second final appearance in four years, following their home defeat to the Pumas in 2022, when the men from Mpumalanga lifted the trophy for the first time.

For the Lions, new signing Angelo Davids has made an immediate impact with his prolific try-scoring ability. The speedy wing dotted down four times last week against Boland to double his tally for the season to eight — the same number as Griquas flyer Gurshwin Wehr.

The final is also the perfect stage for experienced Griquas flyhalf George Whitehead to showcase his playmaking abilities. The stalwart has been in prolific kicking form, amassing 78 points via his reliable boot to top the scoring charts heading into the final. Whitehead’s knack for bringing dangerous strike runners into play has been a hallmark of their season, alongside his steady goal-kicking.

A fascinating contest is on the cards, with two strong packs of forwards set to battle it out, while both teams boast exciting backs to finish off promising attacks.

Kick-off is at 3pm.

Currie Cup final teams:

Lions — 15 Quan Horn (captain), 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 WJ Steenkamp, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye (vice-captain), 2 Franco Marais, 1 SJ Kotze.

Replacements: 16 Morné Brandon, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Renzo du Plessis, 21 Haashim Pead, 22 Lubabalo Dobela, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.

Griquas — 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelenedaba, 11 Gurshwin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Caleb Abrahams, 8 Gustav Erlank, 7 Carl Els, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Derik Pretorius, 3 Cebo Dlamini (captain), 2 Janco Uys, 1 Eddie Davids.

Replacements: 16 Tiaan Lange, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 IG Prinsloo, 19 Marco de Witt, 20 Phumzile Maqondwana, 21 Thomas Bursey, 22 Tom Nel, 23 Connor Mahoney.