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THE SUZUKI Griquas’ remarkable 2025 campaign concluded with a positive finish, yet one of their most prominent players is already gearing up for an upcoming opportunity overseas.

Their highly productive try-scoring winger, Gurshwin Wehr, has been loaned to the English Premiership team Sale Sharks for a four-month period in Manchester, marking an international phase in a year where he has consistently shown strong performances.

Wehr, who also has participated in Blitzboks, was one of the top recipients at the Griquas’ end-of-year awards event held at the Horseshoe Inn in Kimberley.

OFM Sport’s Morgan Piek delivers the reportThat Wehr departed with two awards, including the highly coveted Players’ Player of the Year, selected by his fellow players.

Mnombo Zwelendaba wins the highest recognition

Although Wehr’s decision to move overseas attracted notice, the evening was dominated by centre Mnombo Zwelendaba, who secured two significant awards: Griquas Backline Player of the Year and Griquas Player of the Year overall.

Zwelendaba mentioned that the acknowledgment took him by surprise, noting that he understands the difficulty of receiving an individual award in a team-based sport. Nevertheless, he expressed that he felt privileged to be acknowledged among his colleagues, who, in his view, all had an outstanding season.

He acknowledged the team’s atmosphere as a key factor in his achievements. “Without them, and without our strong bond as a group, none of this would have been possible.”

Zwelendaba mentioned that winning the Currie Cup for the first time in 55 years was a heartfelt moment for the team and for Kimberley. “It has been truly remarkable, and the people of Kimberley have demonstrated how significant it is.”

Coming from elsewhere and having arrived just over a year ago, you don’t fully grasp it until you return home after winning the final and witness the response. It was incredible – it fills you with pride to wear the jersey again next season.

Els, Abrahams, and Liebenberg also acknowledged

Loose forward Carl Els was also strongly in the running for Player of the Year. He received the Forward of the Year award due to his steady performance throughout the season.

Caleb Abrahams was awarded the Newcomer of the Year title following a standout performance in his first Currie Cup season.

The evening also celebrated achievements outside the Currie Cup. Although they lost the SA Cup final 39-14 to the Pumas in Nelspruit, some standout players were recognized. Lock Albert Liebenberg was awarded the Griquas SA Cup Forward of the Year, while Wehr earned additional honors by winning the Griquas SA Cup Backline Player of the Year title.