Gutsy Pumas take the long road back to the Currie Cup final

Reaching a second consecutive Currie Cup final should feel prestigious, but in the immediate aftermath of doing so on Saturday night, the Pumas faced the unglamorous prospect of a 16-hour bus trip back to Mbombela after their courageous victory against the Sharks in Durban. 

That’s the reality of the economic climate in the world these days, especially for a union that lacks the financial punch of their semifinal opponents. 

“We don’t have the luxury of flying back or staying another day in the hotel,” said Pumas head coach Jimmy Stonehouse after his side’s 26-20 victory. Nursing a few knocks after a bruising defensive stand in the second half, there would have been great pride to go along with the pain on that trip back to Mpumalanga. 

Stonehouse’s side will face the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein next Saturday, a journey that will take just half the time by road than the one to Durban.

He was able to reflect on a gutsy and smart display by the Pumas, who hit the home team hard from the kickoff scoring a try off a turnover and a few minutes later backed that up with a second off their prodigious driving maul, to be 12-0 up inside the first quarter.

“It was amazing to see the way they fought out there and the confidence we had to go for the mauling and not kick for poles,” said Stonehouse. 

“I’m very, very proud of this bunch of men; they just fight, week after week. We don’t have the depth to make changes, but we keep on going.”

That three of their four tries came from their front row, reflects the energy and determination they showed when they got into the Sharks 22m. 

The home side, meanwhile, were left lamenting a one-dimensional game plan, in which the strength of their forwards wasn’t used as a platform for any sort of creativity from their backline. Rather, the Sharks kept trying to punch holes in the Pumas' defence, which only yielded on two occasions. Sharks coach Joey Mongalo took responsibility for the defeat.

“I tinkered with the team that went to WP [last week], I didn’t have to do that,” he said. “The team could have gained momentum going into the semifinal. I took the risk and that risk didn’t work.”

Though he claimed it wasn’t a turning point, Mongalo said a second-half try by Pumas hooker Pieter Jacobs halted the Sharks' momentum. The try resulted from a penalty after a yellow card for Sharks No.8 Henco Venter.

“I love Henco but it’s a big moment in the game. Lionel [Cronje] kicked it out five metres from their line and then the opposite happens and we are defending on our own try line. I don’t think we lost the game because of that, but I think it had an influence.”

That try put the Pumas ahead after the Sharks had taken the lead early in the second half after Cronje’s second successful penalty. 

The visitors grimly hung on from there, to secure a trip to the final for the second year in a row.