Griquas coach Pieter Bergh believes the reigning Currie Cup champions deserved a place on the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour schedule.
The All Blacks kick off their eight-match tour against the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday night and will also face the Sharks, Vodacom Bulls and Lions.
“I think they are going to really enjoy playing against the Stormers in Cape Town in their first match of the tour,” Bergh said during Thursday’s Griquas team announcement.
“They’ll be in action on a soft pitch in front of all their [Cape-based] All Blacks supporters.”
MALLETT: Stormers can rattle All Blacks
Bergh pointed out that the All Blacks drew 18-18 with Griquas in Kimberley during their last full tour of South Africa in 1996.
“Thirty years ago, New Zealand came here to Kimberley to play a tour match against Griquas,” he said. “I showed our players a video clip of that match.
“I think it would have been quite good if they had come to play a match in Kimberley again – against the current Currie Cup champions.”
Meanwhile, Bergh has made three changes to his side for Saturday’s Currie Cup match against the Lions in Kimberley.
Carel van der Merwe replaces Marko de Witt at blindside flank, while Malembe Mpofu comes into the second row alongside captain Albert Liebenberg.
In the backline, Bulls-bound wing Dylan Maart returns to the starting XV, with Connor Mahoney dropping to the bench.
Loosehead prop Eddie Davids has recovered from injury and is also included among the replacements.
GRIQUAS – 15 Stefan Coetzee, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Gurshwin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Bobby Alexander, 8 Carl Els, 7 Carel van der Merwe, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg (c), 4 Malembe Mpofu, 3 Ig Prinsloo, 2 Tiaan Lange, 1 Leon Lyons.
Bench: 16 Janus Venter, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Ntobeko Shezi, 19 Derick Pretorius, 20 Dillon Smith, 21 Jack Hart, 22 Sako Makata, 23 Connor Mahoney.
The post Bergh: All Blacks should have played Griquas appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Griquas coach Pieter Bergh believes the reigning Currie Cup champions deserved a place on the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour schedule.
The post Bergh: All Blacks should have played Griquas appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
