Griquas expect huge physical onslaught from Pumas

Griquas coach Hawies Fourie expects the Pumas to push his side to its physical limits when the two teams meet in a Currie Cup encounter in Kimberley on Saturday.

The Pumas are second on the overall points log and, with four victories from five outings, were regarded as favourites. Impressive in their physical approach, particularly in the scrums, Fourie believed Saturday's game would provide a tough challenge.

"The Pumas are going to push us to our limits with regards to physicality," Fourie said.

"They have shown in the last couple of weeks that they do not shy away from that and we are expecting them to hit us hard from the get-go. It is going to be an epic game."

He underlined the importance of good discipline, specifically when within striking distance. While fullback Gouws Prinsloo almost single-handedly produced a victory against the Sharks last week with his goal-kicking capabilities, the Pumas had their own reliable kicker in flyhalf Justin van Staden.

"Gouws kicked really well against the Sharks and we will look to him to give us the points if they are up for grabs. But Justin has been kicking well for the Pumas and we can't give him any opportunities for three pointers," Fourie said.

"We will have to be better in our execution as well. The last time we played them, we had most of the possession, but we still lost because of a lack of execution."

Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse hoped his side could build on their victory over the Cheetahs 31-17 last weekend in Bloemfontein.

"We know that Griquas are going to be a tough ask, but we have some useful momentum at the moment that we really want to build on," Stonehouse said.

"The reason for our success thus far is that we are fortunate enough to have had the same squad, more or less, over the last couple of years. Hopefully that shows again against Griquas."