JIMMY Stonehouse’s Pumas will face Griquas in the Currie Cup final.
Image: BackpagePix / File
Griquas will host the Pumas in the Currie Cup final on Saturday, September 12, after the two sides booked their places in contrasting fashion in yesterday’s semi-finals.
The defending champions looked every inch the team to beat in Kimberley, blowing away a young Lions side 52-12 in a seven-try demolition.
The Lions showed plenty of fight, but were ultimately outclassed as the Griquas pack laid the platform for a hard-running backline that ruthlessly exploited the opportunities that came its way.
Pieter Bergh’s side have looked the real deal throughout the tournament, finishing top of the log after winning their final six league matches in a row.
That commanding campaign earned Griquas home advantage for the final — and they underlined their credentials with another emphatic performance when it mattered most.
The other semi-final in Bloemfontein was a very different affair.
Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse’s reaction at the final whistle said everything about the drama of their 27-24 victory over the Cheetahs. The veteran coach let out a fierce bellow of delight before slamming his fist on the desk in celebration.
Ten minutes earlier, flyhalf Clinton Swart had held his nerve to land a penalty that put the Pumas 27-24 ahead.
The visitors had been forced to dig deep after the Cheetahs made the perfect start, scoring two early tries and threatening to take control of the contest.
But Stonehouse’s men weathered the storm and held on for a hard-fought victory that sent them back to the Currie Cup final.
It was a particularly painful defeat for Cheetahs coach Frans Steyn. His side had been thrashed 52-26 by the Pumas in Nelspruit in the final league match the previous week, but there had been expectations that the Free Staters would turn the tables on home soil in the playoffs.
Instead, it is the Pumas who will return to the final, having won the title in 2022 and finished runners-up in 2023.
Now they face the defending champions in Kimberley, with Griquas bidding to cap a dominant campaign by retaining the Currie Cup on home soil.
Related Topics:
Follow the story
