Hooker Simon Westraad starred as the Pumas held on to beat Griquas in their Currie Cup encounter in Nelspruit on Friday.

Westraad scored two tries – one either side of the interval – to guide the Pumas to a hard-fought 26-22 win that provisionally takes them up to second in the competition standings, three log points clear of the Sharks.

Gameflow: After an evenly contested first half, Griquas held a slender 16-15 lead at the break, courtesy of a converted try by centre JC Nel and three penalty goals. Matt Moore and Simon Westraad accounted for the Pumas’ two tries.

The Pumas came out firing in the second half and scored 11 unanswered points for a 10-point advantage. Dominating territory and possession, Griquas mounted a comeback in the last quarter but failed to breach the Pumas’ defensive line and ultimately only muster up two more penalties to end the points scoring.

Photo: Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images