Despite their 30-23 defeat to the Bulls in Pretoria over the weekend, the mood in the Peacock Blues camp is still high.

The Griquas utility back, André Swarts, told OFM Sport that the defeat to the Bulls was a bitter pill to swallow.

“The guys are really disappointed after not pulling the win through against the Bulls.

“We played some good rugby, so it was disappointing not getting the win.

“We’ve got to move on and there are still a lot of games for us in this competition, but for us, it was a good start. Nobody really gave us a chance against the Bulls and we proved that we can compete against any team in this competition.”

The versatile player added that they are ready to tackle the Pumas and look forward to their first home game in more than a year.

“The Pumas versus Griquas is always a hard game. They are a physical team, so we will have to man up when it comes to physicality.

“Hopefully we can play some good rugby in Kimberley for the first time in more than a year. The guys are really excited.

“This past weekend’s game laid a good platform for us in this competition. We’ve got to look forward and learn from the mistakes we made.

“First game back in Kimberley is going to be warm and tough, but we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Saturday’s game at Tafel Lager Park in Kimberley kicks off at 16:30. The Toyota Cheetahs in turn host the Bulls on Friday evening with the kick-off in Bloemfontein at 19:00.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport