Having coached the Pumas to their first Currie Cup title win in Kimberley on Saturday, an emotional coach Jimmy Stonehouse said it was the “greatest goal” he has achieved in his life.
In what was easily the crowning moment in the union’s history, the Pumas overturned the odds to beat the favoured Griquas at Griqua Park and clinch their first Currie Cup title.
Stonehouse has been at the helm as Pumas head coach for 13 years over two stints, dating back to 2008, while he also served as the union’s U18 coach in the 1990s.
Speaking to Sport24 after the final whistle on Saturday, an emotional Stonehouse struggled to express how much winning the Currie Cup meant to him and his team.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “When that whistle blew at the end, it was just incredible.
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“We try really hard at the Pumas, and for me, this is the greatest goal I’ve achieved in my whole life. I just want to thank all the coaches for what they brought week in and week out.
“I don’t have words for it. Hopefully, my emotions speak for themselves. I just love this team.”
Over the past couple of weeks there has been plenty of debate of the future of the Currie Cup, with Bulls coach Gert Smal calling for the trophy to be shelved after his team was beaten by Griquas in the semi-finals.
However, there were close to 12 000 fans at Griqua Park on Saturday, with a number of vocal Pumas supporters even making the trip down from Mbombela.
“This is rugby. What we saw today was rugby,” said Stonehouse.
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“To see all these people here and have stadiums fully open again is unreal. It was a great game, the people loved it, and the Currie Cup definitely does not belong in a museum.
“It gives an opportunity to players – as it did for Ross Cronje, Faf de Klerk, Rosko Specman, Vincent Koch – to get into big unions.
“Every one of them deserves a chance, and rugby is about getting opportunities,” Stonehouse added.
“This must give them those opportunities, and hopefully other unions have seen them and will take them in a year or two. That’s what this game is about.”
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Photo: Charle Lombard/BackpagePix
