The Pumas have silenced the Free State faithful once again, edging the Cheetahs 27-24 in a pulsating Currie Cup semi-final that swung back and forth.
Just seven days after humbling Frans Steyn’s men in the lowveld, the Mpumalanga outfit came to Bloemfontein and delivered another bitter pill for the home faithful to swallow. The Cheetahs entered this 15:30 kick-off desperate to set the record straight, but instead found themselves on the wrong end of another heartbreaker as the Pumas booked their place in the final against the Griquas in Kimberley.
Cheetahs dominate opening exchanges
This wasn’t a masterclass from either side, it was a brutal, attritional affair that ebbed and flowed across 80 minutes of pure drama. The opening exchanges set the tone: a blistering cat fight with neither side willing to yield an inch. By the 18th minute, the Cheetahs drew first blood through a penalty, establishing a 3-0 lead that felt hard earned given the intensity on display.
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The Pumas showed intent in attack around the 23-minute mark, but frantic handling and poor execution undermined their ambitions. Meanwhile, the Cheetahs found the Pumas’ defensive line a formidable obstacle, aggressive, hungry, and getting off the line with venom.
The breakthrough arrived in the 35th minute when Ramon Uys powered over from a textbook driving maul. The forward had been carrying hard and finding space all afternoon, and his reward was a deserved five pointer that extended the lead to 10-0. But Clinton Swart kept the visitors within touching distance, slotting a penalty on the stroke of half-time to make it 10-3.
Pumas roar back after the break
Whatever Jimmy Stonehouse said in the changing room at the interval clearly worked. The Pumas emerged for the second half as a different animal. Just three minutes after the restart, Darren Adonis crashed over after slick work from the lineout saw the ball shift wide. Swart’s conversion levelled proceedings at 10-10, and suddenly the momentum had shifted entirely.
The 53rd minute brought what looked like a pivotal moment: Andre Goedhals gave the Pumas their first lead of the match. Quick ruck speed and phase dominance saw them batter the gainline repeatedly until the try line beckoned. At 17-10, the visitors looked in control, their ball handling vastly improved from the first half shambles.
But this Cheetahs side doesn’t know when it’s beaten. Marco Janse van Rensburg rumbled over from another powerful maul just three minutes later, with Jaco van der Walt’s conversion bringing the scores level once more at 17-17. The set-piece battle was becoming the defining feature of this contest.
Down to the wire
The Pumas responded with a maul try of their own on 62 minutes, showing patience and precision at the set-piece to reclaim the lead at 24-17. Back came the Cheetahs though, Carel-Jan Coetzee pouncing on broken play, taking the space available and powering through to make it 24-24 with eight minutes remaining.
Swart, celebrating his birthday in the most pressurised environment imaginable, nervelessly slotted a penalty in the 71st minute to edge the Pumas back ahead at 27-24. What followed was edge of the seat stuff. A minute later, the Cheetahs earned a penalty in kickable range but opted for the touchline, backing their driving maul to deliver. The Pumas defence stood firm, winning a crucial penalty to snuff out the danger.
In the 78th minute, the Pumas attacked to seal it, but the Cheetahs forced a knock-on deep in their own territory, earning a scrum that offered one final lifeline. With 80 minutes on the clock, the home side threw everything at the Pumas defence, but the visitors held firm, eventually forcing the turnover that confirmed their passage to the final.
Birthday boy delivers when it matters
Swart was deservedly named man of the match after his excellent performance on his birthday, a day he won’t forget in a hurry. For the Cheetahs, it’s a painful defeat on home soil. For the Pumas, a date with the Griquas in Kimberley awaits, where they’ll fancy their chances of lifting the Currie Cup like they did in 2022.
