Sango Xamlashe, who will lead the Griquas in the absence of captain Niel Otto, said he and his teammates are relishing the feeling of playing in a capacity stadium in the Currie Cup final on Saturday.

The men from Kimberley reached their first Currie Cup final since 1970 when flyhalf George Whitehead scored a try and kicked 13 points to beat the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. Griquas scored 24 points in the second half as the visitors shocked the defending champions 30-19.

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At the beginning of the week, only 50% of stadium capacity was allowed at sports matches due to national restrictions, and Griqua Park looked set to only accommodate half of its 12,800 seats for the final on Saturday.

However, government repealed the Covid-19 regulations on Wednesday night and the remaining tickets for the final were quickly snapped up on Thursday.

This means that, for the first time in his professional career, Xamlashe will lead Griquas out in front of a full stadium when they face the Pumas in the final.

“It’s a great opportunity. I can’t ever recall playing in front of a sell-out crowd and I’m sure a lot of the other guys here can relate,” said Xamlashe.

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“When the crowd is at full capacity at home, it’s a dream for anybody. If someone had to say that this was how things were going to turn out at the beginning of the season, they would have been called bonkers.

“But we are here now. The moment and the occasion are slowly starting to present themselves. The guys are really showing great excitement. They are looking forward to it. A lot of the guys are seeing it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“It’s a huge tribute to our fans as well. I think they deserve it. We are really excited to go out and give a performance that Kimberley can remember.”

Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images