Currie Cup schedule gives Griquas a headache

REACTION: Griquas head coach Pieter Bergh says his team will need to play more frequently if they are to be truly competitive against the top teams in the Currie Cup.

In a game of two halves, the team from Kimberley went down 38-48 to the Bulls in Pretoria over the weekend.

After going into the break 5-36 down, Griquas put in a stirring second-half performance which left the Bulls' fans biting their nails in the final 10 minutes.

Yellow cards to Lizo Gqoboka and Madosh Tambwe in quick succession also played a role in Griquas' fightback in the second 40.

"I think we made too many mistakes in the first half," said Bergh.

"I think the plan that we had came together in the second half and it showed that our plan was right.

"But at the end of the day you can't make so many mistakes in the first half and we couldn't handle their tempo.

"We had three weeks off before the match, while the Bulls had continuity and that played a role.

"The longer the match went on, the better we played. We have another three weeks before we play the Cheetahs, so it is something we have to address.

Intensity levels

Bergh said the lack of intensity in his matchday squad was there for all to see in the first half.

"If you only play once every three weeks it is difficult to get that intensity from the beginning," he added.

"The longer the game went on, the more physical we were and the more speed we attacked with.

"If you don't play a lot of games, you don’t get match fitness and you don't get into the swing of things.

"You can only play at this intensity if you play week in and week out and you get used to it.

"Eight guys in our starting line-up played Varsity Cup last year, so they are not used to this intensity.

"They got the potential to play at this level and they showed that, but we still have a long way to go."

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