Griquas (rugby)


Griquas are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. Their home ground is Griqua Park in Kimberley and they draw their players mostly from Northern Cape Province. They have won the Currie Cup three times – in 1899, 1911 and 1970 – and the Vodacom Cup a joint-record five times.

History

The rugby team was established in 1886 in the then British colony of Griqualand West. Five years later, during the 1891 British Lions tour to South Africa, Griqualand West played the British Lions in Kimberley. Although they lost 3–0, the British presented the team with the Currie Cup, as they thought that Griqualand West produced the best performance out of the provincial games on their tour. The Currie Cup became South Africa's domestic prize, and Griqualand West first won it in 1899. Griqualand West subsequently won the Currie Cup again in 1911. After the introduction of official annual championships in 1969, Griqualand West won the final the next season, defeating Northern Transvaal 11–9 to claim their third title. Since then, Griquas have not won the Currie Cup.
The majority of Griquas supporters hail from the Northern Cape province of South Africa, most notably in and around Kimberley, where the team plays their home games. Their traditional rivals are, a rivalry that stems back to the earliest days of the Currie Cup, when Griqualand West were a dominant force in South African rugby. Since the 1970s, a friendly rivalry has also developed with neighbours the in what has become known as the 'central derby'. Griquas are nicknamed the "Peacock Blues".

Current squad

The following players were included in the Griquas squad for 2020:

Finals results

Currie Cup

1 Western Province and Transvaal did not compete.

Vodacom Cup

SeasonWinnersScoreRunner-upVenue
1998Griquas33–29Blue BullsKimberley
2005Griquas27–25LeopardsKimberley
2007Griquas57–0Golden LionsKimberley
2009Griquas28–19Blue BullsLoftus Versfeld, Pretoria
2014Griquas30–6Golden LionsGriqua Park, Kimberley