Unbeaten Toyota Challenge campaign will strengthen Griquas ahead of Currie Cup

THE SUZUKI Griquas will enter the 2026 Carling Currie Cup with renewed confidence after completing an unbeaten Toyota Challenge campaign, but according to head coach Pieter Bergh, the tournament’s greatest success was not the three victories achieved on the field.

- DANIE VAN DER LITH

Instead, what counted most was that the competition provided the ideal opportunity to test the depth of the squad, give fringe players valuable game time and identify who can challenge for places when the Currie Cup gets under way.

Griquas defeated Romania A (35-20), Georgian outfit Black Lion (56-21) and Portuguese side Lusitanos (76-7) during the tournament, finishing with a perfect record despite travelling to Bloemfontein without many of their established first-choice players.

It was indeed impressive that Griquas ended at the summit of the standings, level on points with the Toyota Cheetahs but ahead on points difference after an impressive campaign in the Free State capital.

Bergh revealed that the Toyota Challenge was always intended as a developmental exercise rather than a results-driven campaign.

“The plan going into the Toyota Challenge was to give our players who did not play much in the SA Cup some game time and see who we can back going into the Currie Cup, who can put pressure on the players who would seem to be first-choice players and where our depth is as a group,” said Bergh.

The coach admitted that Griquas took a calculated gamble by resting a significant number of regular starters following a demanding SA Cup season.