The Toyota Cheetahs, who suffered a narrow defeat in a thrilling Carling Currie Cup Premier Division opening round fixture in Wellington last week, face another stern test on Friday evening when they host the Airlink Pumas in Bloemfontein, where the clash will kick off at 19h00 (SA Time).
Frans Steyn’s Toyota Cheetahs will be ruing their missed opportunity against the Kavaliers, who snatched victory after the final hooter last week in Wellington. On Friday evening, they face the Airlink Pumas, who are in third place on the log after the opening round.
The Pumas’ convincing win over Griquas last weekend has placed them among the early pacesetters on the log, albeit after just one round. Looking ahead to Friday’s match in Bloemfontein, the Free Staters will be hoping to maintain their strong record in this fixture, having won three of the last four encounters against their Mpumalanga rivals, including the 2023 Premier Division final in Bloemfontein.
However, the Pumas will draw confidence from their recent SA Cup form against the Cheetahs, which includes two victories, one of them a 12-point win in March.
Teams:
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 James Verity-Amm, 14 Banie Britz, 13 Marco Janse van Vuuren, 12 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 11 Cohen Jasper, 10 Tiaan Swanepoel, 9 Jandre Nel, 8 Neels Volschenk, 7 Gideon van der Merwe, 6 Sasko Ndlovu , 5 Victor Sekekete (c), 4 Pierre Uys Vuuren, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 2 Vernon Paulo, 1 Cameron Dawson. Replacements: 16 Louis van der Westhuizen , 17 Hencus van Wyk, 18 Aranos Coetzee, 19 Sisonke Vumazonke, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Rewan Kruger, 22 Franco Smith, 23 Clayton Blommetjies.
Airlink Pumas: 15 Tino Swanepoel, 14 Lindi Msenge, 13 Sango Xamlashle, 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Darren Adonis, 10 Danrich Visagie, 9 Ross Braude (vc), 8 Willie Engelbrecht (c), 7 Kwanda Dimaza, 6 Ntsika Fisante, 5 Jeandré Leonard, 4 Heinz Bertram, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Etienne Janeke. Replacements: 16 Darnell Osuagwau, 17 Stephan de Jager, 18 Dewald Maritz, 19 JJ Scheepers, 20 Andre Fouché, 21 Ruwald van der Merwe, 22 Russwell Fredericks, 23 Stefan Coetzee.
