The resignation in Eugene van Wyk's voice yesterday was of a man in touch with reality.
The Griffons' chief executive has come to terms with the fact that not all beasts in the Currie Cup are created equal and that for the very sake of their survival, they need to exist in a parallel universe dotted with fewer stars.
On Friday night, Griquas humbled the Griffons 59-26 in their promotion-relegation match in Kimberley, the visitors' second consecutive loss when they had a shot at the big time.
Thankfully Van Wyk, a former Currie Cup-winning coach with the Blue Bulls, is a realist. He doesn't need to look at the scoreboard to know his team is punching above their weight, if not playing out of their league. "Maybe it is better so," he sighed when asked about Friday night's setback.
"It is tough to play in that division. The reality is we don't have the money to compete in that league. The Super Rugby entities get around R42-million from SA Rugby. We get a grant of R12.5-million. Griquas probably get around R10-million more than us.
"You also have to factor in when you play. In the Premier Division your matches are broadcast, which then enables you to attract sponsors."
Van Wyk knows the lane in which they operate and they are sticking to it. Winning the First Division and developing players are simple objectives but it is a brief they are happy to fulfil for now.
