Griquas (), known as the Suzuki Griquas for sponsorship reasons, are a South African professional rugby union team based in Kimberley in Northern Cape, that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. Their home ground is Griqua Park in Kimberley and they draw their players mostly from Northern Cape Province. They have won the Currie Cup five times – in 1899, 1911, 1970, 2025 and 2026 – and the Vodacom Cup a joint-record five times.
History
The rugby team was established in 1886 in the then British colony of Griqualand West. Five years later, during the 1891 British Lions tour to South Africa, Griqualand West played the British Lions in Kimberley. Although they lost 3–0, the British presented the team with the Currie Cup, as they thought that Griqualand West produced the best performance out of the provincial games on their tour. The Currie Cup became South Africa's domestic prize, and Griqualand West first won it in 1899. Griqualand West subsequently won the Currie Cup again in 1911. After the introduction of official annual championships in 1969, Griqualand West won the final the next season, defeating Northern Transvaal 11–9 to claim their third title. 55 years later, in 2025, Griquas won their fourth Currie Cup title.
The majority of Griquas supporters hail from the Northern Cape province of South Africa, most notably in and around Kimberley, where the team plays their home games. Their traditional rivals are , a rivalry that stems back to the earliest days of the Currie Cup, when Griqualand West were a dominant force in South African rugby. Since the 1970s, a friendly rivalry has also developed with neighbours the in what has become known as the 'central derby'. Griquas are nicknamed the "Peacock Blues".
Super Rugby In 2020, the Griquas were invited to play in the Super Rugby Unlocked competition. A list of players who represented the side in the competition can be found here.
Current squad
The Griquas squad for the 2026 season is:
Props
Hookers
Locks
Loose forwards
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks
Honours Major Honours Currie Cup Premier Division Champions: (5) 1899, 1911, 1970, 2025, 2026 Runners-up: (1) 2022 SA Cup Champions: (1) 2024 Runners-up: (2) 2025, 2026 Vodacom Cup Champions: (5) 1998, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014 Runners-up: (3) 1999, 2000, 2012 Supersport Rugby Challenge Champions: (1) 2019 Runners-up: (2) 2017, 2018 Vodacom Shield Runners-up: (1) 2003
Minor Honours Airlink Cup 2023
Finals
Currie Cup Griquas have won the Currie Cup four times, and have been losing finalists once: SeasonWinnersScoreRunner-upVenue18991Griqualand Westn/an/an/a1911Griqualand Westn/an/an/a1970Griqualand West11–9Northern TransvaalDe Beers Stadium, Kimberley2022Pumas26-19GriquasGriqua Park, Kimberley2025Griquas27–25Golden Lions2026Griquas23–16PumasGriqua Park, Kimberley
1 Western Province and Transvaal did not compete.
They were defeated in the semi-finals in 1979, 1998, 2019 and 2021.
Vodacom Cup
Griquas have won the Vodacom Cup five times, and been defeated in the final three times. This makes them the most successful rugby union in the competition.
SeasonWinnersScoreRunner-upVenue1998Griquas57–0 Golden Lions Kimberley1999Golden Lions73-7 Griquas Johannesburg2000Cheetahs44-24 Griquas Bloemfontein2005Griquas27–25 Leopards Kimberley2007Griquas33–29 Blue Bulls Kimberley2009Griquas28–19Blue BullsLoftus Versfeld, Pretoria2012Western Province20-18 GriquasGriqua Park, Kimberley2014Griquas30–6Golden LionsGriqua Park, Kimberley
Supersport Rugby Challenge
The Griquas have won the Supersport Challenge once and have lost twice in finals. In the short run that this competition was active, the Griquas also boast the best record of all rugby unions.
Rugby Challenge finals Season Winner Score Runner-Up 2017 28–19 2018 32–30 2019 28–13
SA Cup
Griquas have won the SA Cup once and have been defeated in the final twice.
SeasonWinnersScoreRunner-upVenue2024Griquas46–24 Kimberley2025 14-39Griquas Mbombela2026 35-38Griquas Kimberley
References
External links