Suzuki Griquas head coach Pieter Bergh has made several changes to his pack for Friday's Currie Cup clash against the Airlink Pumas at the Mbombela Stadium. The match kicks off at 15:00 SAST on 21 August 2026.
Bergh has kept total consistency in the backline while rotating key personnel in the tight five and loose trio following the previous match against the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV.
In the front row, Tiaan Lange moves up from the replacements bench to start at hooker. He swaps places with Janus Venter, who drops to the bench as the number 16 cover.
Leon Lyons and Ig Prinsloo retain their starting roles as the loosehead and tighthead props respectively.
The second row undergoes a complete overhaul. Both starting locks from the Sharks XV fixture, captain Albert Liebenberg and Malembe Mpofu, drop out of the matchday 23 entirely.
Derik Pretorius moves from the bench to start at number 5 lock. He partners with Lungisa Mbiko, who earns a starting spot at number 4.
The back row sees a tactical shift to accommodate the lock changes. Carel van der Merwe moves from openside flanker to the bench as jersey number 19.
Lourens Oosthuizen steps into the starting lineup at openside flanker. Carl Els remains at number 8, while Marco de Witt continues at blindside flanker.
Bergh has opted for complete continuity in the backline. George Whitehead continues to captain the side from fly-half, partnering with scrum-half Bobby Alexander.
The midfield pairing of Mnombo Zwelendaba and Zane Bester remains intact, while Stefan Coetzee anchors the side from fullback.
Suzuki Griquas: 15 Stefan Coetzee, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Gurswin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Bobby Alexander, 8 Carl Els, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Derik Pretorius, 4 Lungisa Mbiko, 3 Ig Prinsloo, 2 Tiaan Lange, 1 Leon Lyons. Replacements: 16 Janus Venter, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Ntobeko Shezi, 19 Carel van der Merwe, 20 Dillon Smith, 21 Jack Hart, 22 Liam Koen, 23 Saki Makata.