History
The rugby team was established in 1886 in the former British colony of Griqualand West. Five years later, during the 1891 British Lions tour to South Africa, Griqualand West played the British in Kimberley, and although they lost three points to nil, the British presented them 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 in 1911. After the introduction of official annual championships in 1969, Griqualand West won the final the next season, defeating Northern Transvaal 11 points to 9, to claim their third title. Since then Griquas have not won the Currie Cup.
The majority of Griqualand West supporters hail from the Northern Cape province, most notably in and around Kimberley where the team plays their home games. Griquas average around 12,000 at Currie Cup games played at GWK Park. Playing in turquoise, they are sometimes called the Peacock Blues. GWK Park in Kimberley, like most grounds in Central South Africa, has a very hard playing surface and the locals usually get behind their team, making it one of the least favourite destinations for visiting teams in the country.
Read more about this topic: Griquas (rugby)
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