George Whitehead slotted an 86th-minute conversion to complete a spectacular comeback for Griquas against Western Province in Stellenbosch on Friday.
Griquas clawed their way back from a 21-point deficit in a 12-try Currie Cup thriller at the Danie Craven Stadium.
The 43-41 victory puts Griquas on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs, with the fifth-placed Pumas still to play the Free State Cheetahs on Friday night in Bloemfontein.
However, with a nine-point lead on the Pumas, before the two teams clash in the final round in Mbombela next weekend, the Griquas still have their semi-final hopes in their own hands.
Western Province will be left wondering how they let this one slip, but once again they can look to their poor discipline, which has often let them down in a season which could see them finish with just two wins.
For most of the contest, it looked like Griquas would be brought to earth after last weekend’s famous win over the Cheetahs as Western Province tore the Kimberley outfit to shreds with some electric running rugby.
A try-fest of a first half saw Province go into the break 35-19 up after a sensational start saw the hosts open a 21-0 lead in the first 15 minutes.
Swiel knocked over two penalties to extend WP’s lead to over 21 points, leaving Griquas with a mountain to climb.
However, the momentum of the game shifted after experienced prop Ali Vermaak was yellow-carded for a needless off-the-ball tug. That gave Griquas the boost they needed and they immediately capitalised with a maul try.
Luther Obi gave Griquas further hope as he finished off an 80-metre attack which started inside the visitors’ 22-metre area. Whitehead’s conversion made it a 10-point game with 10 minutes left to play.
Another powerful driving maul saw Hanru Sirgel score to bring Griquas to within a try of the lead. The game then went into overtime as Griquas won penalty after penalty and eventually captalised when Obi scored his second try and Whitehead held his nerve to slot the winning conversion.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
