The Suzuki Griquas secured the hosting rights for the 2026 Carling Currie Cup final after delivering a clinical 52-12 demolition of the Fidelity ADT Lions in their semi-final clash at Suzuki Stadium.
The defending champions put on an absolute masterclass in front of their home crowd. They crossed the whitewash seven times while completely suffocating the visitors' defence and limiting them to just two scores over the 80 minutes.
The hosts enjoyed an electric start to the encounter, launching wave after wave of attack before Lourens Oosthuizen crashed over for the opening try in the fourth minute, which George Whitehead comfortably converted. The Griquas continued to attack from anywhere on the field, and just eight minutes later, Marco de Witt ran a brilliant support line to dot down their second try.
Although the Lions offered a perfect response in the 17th minute when Armand Combrick scored from the back of a lineout maul to make it 14-05, the "blue wave" tsunami quickly resumed. Mnombo Zwelendaba crushed past several defenders to power over for the hosts' third try, followed shortly by a Stefan Coetzee five-pointer as the floodgates began to open.
On the stroke of halftime, Tiaan Lange added further misery to the visitors by scoring off the back of a driving maul. This allowed Whitehead to maintain a perfect four-from-four conversion record and send the Griquas into the sheds with a commanding 35-05 lead.
The second-half onslaught began exactly where the first left off, with Oosthuizen completing his brace in the 45th minute, converted this time by Liam Koen. Discipline further unravelled for the Lions when Hashim Pead was sent to the sin-bin with a yellow card shortly after.
The visitors did manage a rare highlight in the 64th minute when Ithan Adams gathered a perfect Matt Coetzee kick to score their second try. However, the Griquas quickly asserted their set-piece dominance once more.
Jack Hart sniped off the back of a powerful scrum to score in the 70th minute. Koen then slotted a final penalty at the death to wrap up a historic 40-point victory and confirm Suzuki Stadium as the host venue for the upcoming grand finale.
Scorers:
Suzuki Griquas: Tries: Lourens Oosthuizen (2), Marco de Witt, Mnombo Zwelendaba, Stefan Coetzee, Tiaan Lange, Jack Hart. Conversions: George Whitehead (5), Liam Koen (2). Penalty: Liam Koen.
Fidelity ADT Lions: Tries: Armand Combrinck, Ethan Adams. Converted: Matt Coetzee.
Teams:
Suzuki Griquas: 15 Stefan Coetzee, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Sako Makata, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Bobby Alexander, 8 Carl Els, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg (c), 4 Malembe Mpofu, 3 IG Prinsloo, 2 Tiaan Lange, 1 Leon Lyons. Replacements: 16 Janco Uys, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Ntobeko Shezi, 19 Derik Pretorius, 20 Carel van der Merwe, 21 Jack Hart, 22 Liam Koen, 23 Connor Mahoney.
Fidelity ADT Lions: 15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Keagan Smith, 13 Ethan Adams, 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 11 Latica Nela, 10 Matt Coetzee, 9 Haashim Pead, 8 Jarod Cairns, 7 Renzo du Plessis, 6 Thando Biyela, 5 Ruan Delport (c), 4 Siba Qoma, 3 Ruan Swart, 2 Armand Combrinck, 1 Juan Schoeman. Replacements: 16 Mahle Sithole, 17 Siya Dube, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Dylan Sjoblom, 20 JD Hattingh, 21 Asad Moos, 22 Exauce Kevani, 23 Luke Cannon.