The Airlink Pumas secured their place in the 2026 Currie Cup final with a hard-fought 27-24 victory over the Toyota Cheetahs at a tense Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein. The Airlink Pumas defended heroically in the final ten minutes to shut out the hosts and secure their historic final berth against the Suzuki Griquas in Kimberley.
In a classic semi-final arm-wrestle, the Pumas overturned a first-half deficit to book a trip to Kimberley for the tournament showpiece.
The opening exchanges were a brutal tactical battle, with both sides testing each other's discipline. It took 18 minutes for the scoreboard to tick over, courtesy of a Jaco van der Walt penalty that drifted the Cheetahs into a 03-00 lead.
As the half progressed, the hosts slowly wrestled control of momentum. Their persistent territorial pressure eventually paid off in the 35th minute when Ramon Uys crashed over the line off the back of a powerful lineout maul. Van der Walt added the extras to stretch the lead to 10-00.
The Pumas managed to claw back some vital momentum just before the break. Clinton Swart slotted a crucial penalty on the stroke of halftime, reducing the deficit to 10-3 and keeping the visitors within striking distance.
The Pumas came out firing in the second half. Just three minutes after the restart, quick hands and an expansive skip pass unlocked the Cheetahs' defence, allowing Darren Adonis to score a spectacular try in the corner. Swart struck a brilliant conversion to level the scores at 10-10.
Building on that momentum, the visitors patiently constructed their phases. In the 52nd minute, continued pressure saw Andre Goedhals crash through the defensive line to score. Swart converted again, putting the Pumas ahead for the very first time at 17-10.
The Cheetahs responded almost instantly. Just four minutes later, they reverted to their lethal rolling maul, sending Marko Janse van Rensburg over the whitewash. Van der Walt’s conversion tied the match up at 17-17.
The maul weapon worked for both sides, and in the 62nd minute, it was the Pumas' turn. Hooker Gustav du Rand barged over from close range, and Swart's conversion pushed the visitors back into a 24-17 lead.
The drama intensified five minutes later. Following a comedy of errors from both teams in the midfield, Cheetahs midfielder Carel-Jan Coetzee reacted quickest, cutting through the disorganised Pumas defence to score his team's third try. Van der Walt converted to level the scoreboard at 24-24 with just over ten minutes remaining.
With the game on a knife-edge, discipline proved to be the deciding factor. In the 69th minute, the Cheetahs conceded a penalty within striking range. Clinton Swart stepped up with ice in his veins, slotting the three-pointer to seal a breathless 27-24 win.
Scorers:
Toyota Cheetahs: Tries: Ramon Uys, Marko Janse van Rensburg, Carel-Jan Coetzee. Conversions: Jaco van der Walt (3). Penalty: Jaco van der Walt.
Airlink Pumas: Tries: Darren Adonis, Andre Goedhals, Gustav du Rand. Conversions: Clinton Swart (3). Penalties: Clinton Swart (2).
Teams:
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Cohan Jasper, 14 Michael Annies, 13 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 12 Zander du Plessis, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Neels Volschenk (c), 7 Simon Miller, 6 Ramon Uys, 5 Victor Sekekete, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 1 Tebogo Nkosi. Replacements: 16 Stefan Venter, 17 Dux Mangama, 18 John-Kelly Okonkwo, 19 Arno van der Merwe, 20 Sisonke Vumazonke, 21 Daniel Maartens, 22 Litha Nkula, 23 Marco Jansen van Vuren.
Airlink Pumas: 15 Jaycee Nel, 14 Darren Adonis, 13 Sango Xamlashe (vice-captain), 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Banie Britz, 10 Clinton Swart, 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Andre Goedhals, 6 Thabo Ndimande, 5 Tiaan de Klerk, 4 JJ Scheepers, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Chyle van Zyl, 1 Zukisa Sali. Replacements: 16 Gustav du Rand, 17 Etienne Janeke, 18 Junior Banda, 19 Stephan Krugel, 20 Ruwald van der Merwe, 21 Ntsika Fisanti, 22 Tino Swanepoel, 23 Russwill Fredericks.