[LOOK] The claws are out: Cheetahs and Pumas in Bloemfontein catfight for Currie Cup gold
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Joint top Scorer: Tinus de Beer.Pic credit: Charle Lombard/BackpagePix
The Free State Cheetahs and Mpumalanga’s Pumas will go all out in the ultimate catfight to get their kloue on the Currie Cup trophy in Bloemfontein Saturday at 4pm.
On one end of the field you have the visiting Pumas gunning to successfully defend the historic first trophy they won last year.
Opposing them are a Cheetahs spans who are looking for revenge after losing 38-35 to the Pumas in the semifinals last year.
And then there were two…🏆#CurrieCup #WhereLegendsRise pic.twitter.com/0q6kusBZgY
— The Currie Cup (@TheCurrieCup) June 19, 2023
Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie is clear about their mission, saying earlier this week: “We’ve got a score to settle with the Pumas.”
But he will have to be on his hoede, with his rival Jimmy Stonehouse, who has warned their hosts: “We are working on a few things. You have to bring a little something new to a final. Every guy has something up their sleeve…”
The final also pits the tournament’s top points-scorers against each other, with Pumas flyhalf Tinus de Beer and veteran Cheetahs scrumhalf-cum-flyhalf Ruan Pienaar locked on 114 points apiece.
Former Western Province ace and Pumas fullback Devon Williams, meanwhile, is the leading try scorer in the competition with seven touchdowns heading into the decider.
Williams will be looking to add to that tally in a match that is expected to be a high-scoring encounter, with both spanne happy to swing the ball wide.
Will the Pumas make history by winning back-to-back titles, or will the Cheetahs, who last on in 2019, win their seventh trophy?