A thrilling encounter is expected between the two sides, and it could well go down to the wire, with a penalty or two possibly determining the outcome.

The Cheetahs have a new flyhalf, Tiaan Swanepoel, who has no trouble slotting long-range penalties thanks to his powerful boot.

Gideon van der Merwe and George Lourens. Photo: Morgan Piek

Bergh told OFM Sport that discipline will be key, but the Griquas have planned accordingly.

“Yes, definitely – we know Giepa (Gideon van der Merwe) is one of the few former Griquas now playing for the Cheetahs. The nice thing for them this week is that they don’t have to call our players – they can speak to them directly at the stadium. Especially the former Shimla guys – they’re all keen to make a statement against us,” said Bergh.

“But yes, if you concede a penalty, Tiaan can put you 60 to 70 metres back. He brings a different skill set compared to someone like Clayton Blommetjies or George Lourens, and we’ve prepared tactically for that. He’s a good player – probably hasn’t had much game time lately, so this match is an opportunity to give him that. He might even start for them in next week’s semi-final.”

Bergh added the Griquas are well-prepared and understand what to expect from the Cheetahs.

“Over the past year, we’ve prepared well against them and been tactically sharp. They’re playing a different defensive system now compared to what they used before, so we’ve had to make a few tactical changes of our own. But yes, our focus is on putting in a solid performance and building confidence for next week.”

The derby between the Peacock Blues and the Cheetahs kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday at the Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley.

Griquas - 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 12 Tertius Kruger, 11 Gurswin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead (captain), 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Gustav Erlank, 7 Phumzile Maqondwana, 6 Thabo Ndimande, 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Dylan Sjöblom, 3 Cebo Dlamini, 2 Janco Uys, 1 Corné Lavagna

Replacements - 16 Gustav du Rand, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Ntobelo Shezi, 19 Athenkosi Khethani, 20 Stephan Smit, 21 Bobby Alexander, 22 Tylor Sefoor, 22 Zane Bester

Cheetahs - 15 James Verity-Amm, 14 Prince Nkabinde, 13 Marco Janse van Vuren, 12 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 11 Cohen Jasper, 10 George Lourens, 9 Jandré Nel, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Pierre Uys, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Victor Sekekete, 4 Pieter Jansen van Vuren, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Chucky van der Westhuizen, 1 Hencus van Wyk

Replacements - 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Sisonke Vumazonke, 20 Neels Volschenk, 21 Tiaan Swanepoel, 22 Rewan Kruger, 23 Franco Smith

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg