Flightless Griffons hit the road back in Currie Cup as struggles persist

Victory in last season’s First Division helped pave the way back to the Premier Division of the Currie Cup for the Griffons. In some ways though, it will feel as if their journey has just started. The Premier Division will be littered with potholes, provide twists and turns and throw up fellow racers, all while those in authority keep their distance.

The Griffons kick off their campaign on Saturday and will make the journey from Welkom to Durban by bus. They will board at about noon on Thursday for their long and winding trip to the east coast.

“It’s about 600km,” Griffons CEO Eugene van Wyk said matter of factly.

“We’ll probably have to stay inside the 100km speed limit, so we’re giving ourselves about eight hours to get there.”

Van Wyk explained SA Rugby used to cover travel costs but that is no longer the case. Even if they had a title sponsor for the competition, the provinces playing in it would still have to pay for their travel and accommodation.

For a province that exists on the margins, that cost is heavy. They’ll be travelling by bus for almost all their away matches. The trip to Cape Town to meet Western Province is the likely exception, except “that’s over Easter weekend, so we are struggling to get all the guys booked”, said Van Wyk.

At home, too, the Griffons have to dig deep to prepare for distinguished company. “We’re chopping, stripping, painting to get our stadium as ready as it can be. We looked at it and asked whether we can host visiting officials.

“Fortunately, we were given 3pm kickoff slots by the broadcaster. We can’t play under lights. The municipality can’t help us with that. Imagine, they spend R5m on lights for us and the roads remain in disrepair. There’ll be a revolt.”

We played five or so matches. We copped big scores in some of them, but the aim was really to give the guys game time.

—  Eugene van Wyk

Still, there is a buzz in Welkom for the Griffons' return to the top flight for the first time in 21 years. They put themselves in a position for promotion when they won the First Division final against Eastern Province last year. The South African Rugby Union then rubber stamped their entry into the Premier Division.

Outside the northern Free State, however, they will be viewed as low-hanging fruit in the Currie Cup and their results in the warm-ups didn’t exactly challenge that theory.

“We played five or so matches against the Pumas, Griquas, the Cheetahs and the Leopards,” said Van Wyk. “We copped big scores in some of them, but the aim was really to give the guys game time. We started those games with the players that wouldn't ordinarily start and then rotate in the second half. That obviously affected how competitive we were in those games,” said Van Wyk.

The last time they competed in the top tier of the Currie Cup they failed to win a game in their section. They start from a low base.

Though they'll be up against it on Saturday, there was a time when the Welkom-based team travelled to Durban with expectations as big as what was at stake.

They used to feverishly contest the right to get out of the B-section or remain in the A-section of the Currie Cup. Back then promotion-relegation matches kept everyone honest.

Things have markedly changed for the coastal side, but for the team who were known as the "Purple People Eaters", time sucking on the hind teat has become an enduring staple.