The Pumas are fixing to pounce on Griquas’ mistakes with Tinus de Beer primed at flyhalf for the Currie Cup final in Kimberley on Saturday, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.
A new champion in the sport’s oldest competition will be crowned in Kimberley on Saturday afternoon with a rags-to-riches matchup between Griquas and the Pumas.
The men from Nelspruit have been involved in several nail-biting clashes this season, often capitalising on their opponents’ errors to score some breathtaking tries.
Speaking as the Pumas prepare for a first-ever Currie Cup final appearance, De Beer told SA Rugby magazine: “I’m really relying on my forwards to give me the go-forward ball that I need to get the team into the right spaces on the field.
“We’re a team that you can’t pinpoint what makes us good or what are our strengths; we’re an all-round good team that have a strong set piece and strike well from lineouts.
“But it’s that turnover ball and little soft moments from the opposition that makes our eyes sparkle and when we get that ball, we can turn that into a try or a magic moment.
“So, it’s not so much focusing on doing this or that to win this final but it’s playing off Griquas’ mistakes.”
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A five-minute scoring blitz at the death clinched the Pumas a spot in the Currie Cup final at the expense of the Free State Cheetahs in a Bloemfontein semi-final thriller.
De Beer sparked the comeback when he exploited a gap and ran the distance before offloading to Giovan Snyman to cross the whitewash. Simon Raw then rumbled into the end zone and Ali Mgijima completed the fightback, with De Beer on song with all the extras.
But, the former Griquas playmaker wants to clinch the win early on Saturday at his old stomping ground.
“Watched the English Premiership final where it went down to a drop goal, and also Manie Libbok put one over in the URC final to put the Stormers ahead,” De Beer said.
“We’re prepared to dig deep again and fight for victory but, for my sake and the coaches’ hearts and everyone supporting us, we don’t want those last five minutes to be as it was.”
On what to expect in his first Currie Cup final experience, he added: “The guys just can’t stop smiling! It’s like there’s bugs in your tummy … like your first meeting with that girl you like – butterflies everywhere!
“We don’t really know how to prepare or feel for this but we are very excited. We’ve played against Griquas twice now and have taken a lot of work-ons from those games for Saturday.
“We also shouldn’t make this occasion bigger than it is; there’s going to be fireworks and whatever, and if we start to focus on that we’ll drift away from what has made us so successful in the competition so far.”
Tinus de Beer whipping out one of *?????* sidesteps in the Pumas’ #CarlingCurrieCup win over the Cheetahs last night ? pic.twitter.com/sZbq8gg9Tj
— SuperSport ? (@SuperSportTV) June 4, 2022
