There are three personnel changes and one positional switch to the side that opened their campaign with a hard-fought 35-20 victory over Romania A on Friday.

The Peacock Blues are set for what is expected to be their toughest assignment of the tournament so far. They come up against a confident Black Lion outfit that sent a strong warning to the rest of the competition when they stunned the back-to-back SA Cup champions, the Pumas, 46-35 in the opening game.

Liam Koen. Photo: Morgan Piek

In the backline, Liam Koen takes over at flyhalf after playing the majority of last week’s match following an early concussion suffered by Zinedine Robinson. 

Koen grabbed his opportunity with both hands, producing a composed display and earning the Player of the Match award after slotting five conversions from five attempts.

Jack Hart retains his place at scrumhalf, with the pair set to continue their promising halfback partnership.

At centre, Simon Liversage did enough on debut against Romania A to hold onto the number 12 jersey. He will once again combine with Tom Nel in midfield as the Griquas look to build continuity in their attacking structures.

Jack Hart. Photo: Morgan Piek

Among the forwards, Marco de Witt comes into the starting side at flank in the number seven jersey. His inclusion results in a positional reshuffle, with Carel van Merwe moving from the side of the scrum into the second row for the first time. He replaces Derik Pretorius at lock after the latter captained the side in the opening fixture.

Phumzile Maqondwana also returns after recovering from the concussion he sustained during the SA Cup semi-final against the Boland Cavaliers in Kimberley. He takes over from Lourens Oosthuizen in the number six jersey and will also lead the reigning Currie Cup champions as captain.

With Koen promoted to the starting XV, there is just one change on the bench. Anticipating a physical battle against the Georgian outfit, coach Pieter Bergh has opted for a six-two split among the replacements. Versatile loose forward Carl Els comes into the match-day squad and provides valuable cover across the back row.

Dillon Smith also made his debut against Romania A. Photo: Morgan Piek

The Griquas replacements made a strong impact in the victory over Romania A, with several players enhancing their reputations. Loosehead prop Mhleli Khuzwayo was particularly impressive after coming off the bench for his debut. He injected energy into the contest, worked tirelessly around the park, made his presence felt in defence, and consistently carried the ball with purpose.

Wednesday’s encounter between the Griquas and Black Lion at the Toyota Stadium kicks off at 13:30, with both teams looking to maintain their unbeaten starts to the Toyota Challenge. The match promises to be a stern test of the Griquas’ credentials against one of the tournament’s early pace-setters.

Griquas – 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Connor Mahoney, 13 Tom Nel, 12 Simon Liversage, 11 Sako Makata, 10 Liam Koen, 9 Jack Hart, 8 Dillon Smith, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Phumzile Maqondwana (captain), 5 Carel van der Merwe, 4 Lungisile Mbiko, 3 Moango Ngundue, 2 Keagan Blanckenberg, 1 Leon Lyons

Replacements – 16 Janco Uys, 17 Mhleli Khuzwayo, 18 Johan Louw, 19 Ulrich van der Westhuizen, 20 Cephas van Biljon, 21 Carl Els, 22 Caleb Abrahams, 23 Zane Bester

Black Lion – TBA

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek  dg