Susuki Griquas head coach, Peter Bergh. Picture: Supplied
RECENTLY, at the end of their 2024 Currie Cup campaign, the Suzuki Griquas head coach Peter Bergh made a point of reaching out to those who backed the team during their Cup run.
Bergh wrote:
“As we come to the end of our season, I thought I want to write to our supporters and thank everyone for your continuous support throughout the year. I also want to update you on the way forward for us as a team. Maybe we can even do this monthly going forward ...
“This was an incredibly difficult Currie Cup season for all of us. After winning the SA Cup in May we had good momentum and confidence heading into the Currie Cup just like we wanted to. Going into the final of the SA Cup we had two injuries and almost a fully fit squad.
“But unfortunately, everything doesn't always work out as planned and in the Currie Cup injuries really put us on the back foot from the beginning. At one stage 15 players were unavailable for selection.
“When we lost George Whitehead (broken ankle), probably the player of the tournament in the SA Cup in the third minute of our first match against the Pumas it was like a bad omen for what would follow. We still had Lubabalo Dobela, but he also struggled with injuries during the season and we could never have that continuity in such an important position as flyhalf.
“We signed Zinedine Robinson during the Varsity Cup to replace Lubabalo when he leaves us to the Lions at the end of the year and the plan was not for him to play much in his first year while he finds his feet in professional rugby. He played his best game against WP and showed the potential he has for the future.
“We did not have the opportunity once during the Currie Cup to select the same team two weeks in a row.
“I must take my hat off to the players for not giving up during this season when things were going against us and we struggled to play our best rugby. They didn't give up, stuck together as a team and fought for each other and the union until the end. The last two performances and results against the Cheetahs and WP showed we are on the right track going forward.
The Suzuki Griquas end their season on a high 🙌![CDATA[]]>🏉 pic.twitter.com/YV2mYmkJWu
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 6, 2024
“The crowd and the atmosphere at our final home match against WP was special. The amount of Griquas jerseys in the crowd compared to previous years playing against WP (when half of the crowd supported WP) showed that the people of the Northern Cape got behind us this season and supported us until the end.
“We hope to see all of you back next year.
“Although we did not make the semi-finals of the Currie Cup we are proud of the year we had and the fact that we won two trophies. We won the Airlink Cup in November, the SA Cup in May and finished fifth in the Currie Cup. We won 75% of all our matches (18/24) we played this season.
“As always, players will leave us and new players will come in. I am happy with our squad and we have already replaced players we knew would be leaving us. For example, we knew in April already that Jay-Cee Nel will leave us at the end of the Currie Cup and then already planned to bring Zane Bester in earlier to replace him. I wish all players leaving us the best for the future and thank them for their contribution to Griquas.
“We also started our player development partnership with WP this year which will only grow and improve in the years to come and we will be looking forward to welcoming more WP players to Kimberley next year.
A group of Suzuki Griquas players will join the DHL Stormers squad for their pre-season preparations as part of the development agreement between the two teams. #iamastormer #dhldelivershttps://t.co/GlkddN8dgh
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) September 11, 2024
“This week, four of our players, Leon Lyons, Dylan Sjoblom, Sako Makata and Connor Mahoney joined the Stormers training camp. Cebo Dlamini, Marco de Witt and Dylan Maart will also join soon. This will help us in the future to keep our best players and give them exposure playing on a higher level. We wish them all the best !
“We have also managed to extend the contracts of some of our best players during the season including Janco Uys, Carl Els, Connor Mahoney, Dylan Maart and Cameron Hufke.
“We have a wonderful main sponsor in Suzuki SA and I want to thank them for their support during the season and for everything they do to help us succeed.
“The team will now be on a break before we start with pre-season training in October, in preparation for the 2025 season.”
Thank you
Pieter Bergh
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