The Airlink Pumas will defend their Currie Cup Premier Division crown against the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday after the teams from Mpumalanga and the Free State won their respective semi-finals this weekend.
The Toyota Cheetahs beat the Vodacom Bulls by 39-10 on Saturday to secure home advantage for the season decider, while the Airlink Pumas earned the right to defend their title courtesy of a shock 26-20 win over the Cell C Sharks in the second playoff, staged in Durban.
The Premier Division Final will kick off at 16h00 on Saturday 24 June at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.
The Free Staters and defending champions were touted as early favourites for the title after dominating the initial stages of the tournament. Both teams were less consistent towards the end of the league phase, yet Hawies Fourie’s charges did enough to finish at the top of the standings, and the men from Mpumalanga managed to secure third place.
Both went into the semi-finals as underdogs, and both proceeded to deliver a statement regarding their championship quality. The Toyota Cheetahs dominated a star-studded Vodacom Bulls side in the first playoff, while Jimmy Stonehouse’s men were in control for much of the second fixture against the Cell C Sharks.
The upshot is that both teams will progress to the final, and while the Toyota Cheetahs will go into that decider as favourites, they will be wary of an Airlink Pumas side that managed to win last year’s semi-final in the Free State capital.