With the four sides having secured qualification for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division following the completion of the league phase, attention now shifts to the weekend’s two playoff games to see who will fight it out next week in the final of the SA Cup.
The Airlink Pumas have swept aside all before them so far in the league, including a deserving win over last year’s champions, and the Kavaliers will know Jimmy Stonehouse’s side is always a tough nut to crack at home in Mpumalanga.
They defeated Boland by two points a fortnight ago in Wellington in a game where the hosts’ determination secured two crucial bonus points to set them up for qualification for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division action for the first time since 2016.
Under the guidance of Hawies Fourie, coupled with vital investments from their corporate partner, the Bolanders – Carling Currie Cup First Division champions in 2023 and 2024 – have been building steadily towards their return to the Premier Division.
Their progress can be gauged from the fact that when these two sides last met in Nelspruit last year, the Pumas whitewashed the men from Wellington 49-0 in round eight clash of the inaugural SA Cup.
Two weeks ago, when they met again in Wellington, it was a different story, with the visitors from Mpumalanga edging a close-fought clash 34-32 against the determined Kavaliers.
The Airlink Pumas recently handed Suzuki Griquas their first defeat in the SA Cup after they were unbeaten in 2023, in a show of strength and their ambition to add silverware to their trophy cabinet in Nelspruit.
On Friday evening, another tight battle is expected between the Pumas and Boland, with the host team’s supporters hoping home ground advantage at the Mbombela Stadium will tilt the scales in their favour.
In Saturday’s second semi-final in Kimberley, Suzuki Griquas go into their playoff with two SA Cup victories against the Toyota Cheetahs. While the 2023 result was a comfortable 39-17 win in Bloemfontein, last week’s final league encounter between the two Central South African sides finished in a 31-29 win for the hosts in the Diamond City, thanks to two late tries.
Meanwhile, Pieter Bergh’s Griquas team will feel confident of a repeat against their close rivals, while Frans Steyn’s rebuilt Cheetahs side will be determined to go one step better and reach their first SA Cup final, dethroning the defending champions in the process.
The winners of the weekend’s two semi-finals will contest next weekend’s SA Cup final.
Note: Following the completion of the SA Cup league phase, the Carling Currie Cup fixtures have been finalised. The Premier Division will start on Friday, 25 July, and the First Division kicks off on the weekend of 14 June. All the fixtures are subject to change.
Match information:
Airlink Pumas vs Sanlam Boland Kavaliers
Date: Friday, 16 May
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 19h00
Referee: Sean Muller
Suzuki Griquas vs Toyota Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 17 May
Venue: Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley
Kick-off: 15h00
Referee: Dylen November
Picture credit: Morgan Piek / Toyota Cheetahs.
