Championship glory was bestowed upon the AVBOB Griquas Women after they outplayed the Hollywood Foundation Pumas Women 31 – 25 in the thrilling finals of the Pick n Pay Super League 2.

After a season of graft and determination, the Griquas Women were crowned champions at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Friday.

Pumas, the defending champions, led 17 – 14 at the break, but the Northern Cape side produced a clinical second-half performance.

The Griquas’ victory – their first title in the provincial women’s game – came from making the most of key moments in the match. Claudia Francke, the Griquas coach, praised her team’s resilience in the final.

Francke said the possibility of making history acted as motivation. “The players knew what was on the line for us and how this would impact back home, not only for us but the junior structures as well.”

Early attacks from both sides

The opening five minutes were lively with both teams having early attacking raids, but both lost possession at crucial times.

After the first try from the home side, the Griquas hit back immediately. A break by full-back Inga Qogi opened up the Pumas’ defensive line and they went off their feet trying to stop the recycled possession and were penalised. The Griquas tapped and shortly after, centre Sibabalwe Jobo crashed over. Qogi converted and the Griquas led 7 – 5.

The Pumas responded with a solo effort and the hosts’ 10 – 7 lead was good value as they started to build attacking momentum.

An offload resulted in the third try of the match for Pumas. The conversion was slotted and after 30 minutes the lead was 17 – 7.

The Griquas pulled one back close to the half-time whistle when captain Jennielee van Nel finished off some support play after fly-half Juanine Jacobs broke through. Qogi converted and it was a three-point game at the break.

Dramatic final minutes

The Griquas started stronger in the second half and managed to fix the poor handling that had dogged their first-half attack. Hooker Lindokuhle Sinaze scored after a supporting line gave her space. The try gave them a lead of 19 – 17 and when they scored again, it became clear this match was going down to the wire.

A high tackle from the Pumas gave the Griquas a penalty which they tapped. The ball was kept alive through numerous phases and Van Nel scored her second try. Qogi converted for a 26 – 17 lead after 55 minutes.

However, the Pumas attacked with interplay between backs and forwards. An intervention from the bench upped the Griquas’ game. Replacement centre Tyrell Wilson added real impact with her straight running and caused errors in the Pumas’ defence, which resulted in penalties for the visitors.

From a tap penalty, Wilson worked her way over the line and with just over 10 minutes to go, the Griquas extended their lead to 31 – 22.

The home side’s winger Sandisile Mkhabela, their ace kicker, cut three points off that lead with a long-range penalty and at 31 – 25 it was anyone’s game with 10 minutes to play.

The final 10 minutes were just as dramatic and when referee Angie Bezuidenhout called time, history was made. – springboks.rugby