Griffons (rugby team)


The Northern Free State Griffons are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Rugby Challenge tournaments. They play out of Welkom at North West Stadium, and draw players from roughly the eastern third of Free State Province.
Players from the Griffons are eligible for selection to the Cheetahs Super Rugby team, along with players from the and.
The team currently plays in the First Division of the Currie Cup, attracting crowds of around 4,000 to home games in at North West Stadium in Welkom. Their traditional rivals are the Free State Cheetahs and North West Province Leopards.

History

The Griffons rugby union was formed in 1968 when the late Dr Danie Craven, the president of SA rugby, had a vision to spread the game to rural areas in South Africa. The Griffons were one of four new provincial teams formed, originally known as Northern Free State.
In 1996, with the start of professional rugby, the then South African rugby football union, under Louis Luyt, decided to re-divide the unions to have only 14 provinces in South Africa, with Northern Free State being one. The Eastern Free State province was incorporated into Northern Free State. In 1999, Northern Free State changed their name to the Griffons.

Honours

The team's major tournament wins include the 1970 Paul Roos Trophy, 2001 Vodacom Shield, 2008 Currie Cup First Division, 2014 Currie Cup First Division, 2016 Currie Cup First Division and 2017 Currie Cup First Division.

Current squad

The following players were included in the Griffons squad for the 2019 Currie Cup First Division: