The Suzuki Griquas defeated Romania A 35-20 in their opening match of the 2026 Toyota Challenge at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.
The Griquas dominated from early on, dictating the tempo and converting territorial advantages into points. Despite rigid counter-attacks from the touring Romanian side, the Griquas showcased sharp handling out wide. At the halftime break, the Griquas led 21–13.
Griquas maintained their intensity after the break, utilising their clinical finishing to stretch the Romanian defensive structures. The match allowed the Griquas to successfully build depth and hand out caps, including a highly anticipated debut for Varsity Cup-winning Tuks captain Dillon Smith, who started at No 8. The home side ultimately shut down Romania's late push to secure a deserved win.
Scorers:
Suzuki Griquas: Tries: Simon Liversage, Connor Mahoney, Jack Hart, Mheli Khuzwayo, Tom Nel. Conversions: Liam Koen (5).
Romania A: Tries: Tevita Manumua, Damian Bonaparte. Conversions: Jondre Williams (2), Penalties: Jondre Williams (2).
Teams:
Suzuki Griquas: 1 Leon Lyons, 2 Keagan Blanckenberg, 3 Mango Ngundue, 4 Lungi Mbiko, 5 Derik Pretorius, 6 Lourens Reinart Oosthuizen, 7 Carel Van Der Merwe, 8 Dillon Smith, 9 Jack Hart, 10 Zinedine Robinson. 11 Sako Makata, 12 Simon Liversage, 13 Thomas Nel, 14 Connor Mahoney, 15 Cameron Hufke. Replacements: 16 Janco Uys, 17 Mhleli Khuzwayo, 18 Bom Louw, 19 Ulrich Van Der Westhuizen, 20 Cephas Van Biljon, 21 Caleb Abrahams, 22 Liam Koen, 23 Zane Bester.
Romania A: 1 Eduard Matei, 2 Adrian Tala, 3 Jean-Pierre Smith, 4 Nicolaas Immelman, 5 Logan Weidner, 6 Mihai Popescu, 7 Vlad Neculau, 8 Ettienne Terblanche, 9 Jondre Williams, 10 Hinckley Vaovasa, 11 Damian Bonaparte, 12 Dylan Schwartz, 13 Jason Tomane, 14 Tevita Manumua, 15 Toni Maftei. Replacements: 16 Robert Irimescu, 17 Iulian Hartig, 18 Cosmin Manole, 19 Yanis Horvat, 20 Matthew Tweddle, 21 Alin Conache, 22 Mihai Graure, 23 Serge Le Mezec.