The Airlink Pumas will travel to Kimberley to face defending champions the Suzuki Griquas in the Carling Currie Cup Final after they hung on to beat the Toyota Cheetahs 27-24 (half-time 3-10) in a thrilling second semifinal played at Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Earlier, Griquas routed the Fidelity ADT Lions 52-12 (half-time 35-5) in the first semifinal played at Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley.
The Final will be a repeat of the 2022 showpiece, which coach Jimmy Stonehouse’s Lowvelders won 26-19 to lift the Cup for the only time in their history.
Griquas earn the right to host the match after finishing top of the log at the completion of the round-robin stage of the world’s oldest provincial rugby competition.
It was a fairytale afternoon for Pumas flyhalf Clinton Swart, who celebrated his 34th birthday with a man-of-the-match performance that included a personal haul of 12 points via two penalties and three conversions.
“It was a very tough match and conditions weren’t perfect but I told the boys not to worry and that things would turn around and it did in the end,” said Swart. “It’s a very special day. It’s my birthday, I get man of the match, get the win and go to the final. We’ll enjoy our bus trip back and then settle down and plan for the final.”
Losing captain Neels Volschenk, who played in his 50th match, said: “We’re very disappointed with the loss in a home semi-final. But we put ourselves in this position and it’s disappointing,” he said.
“To put this jersey over my head is a huge responsibility and an honour and I’m just disappointed we couldn’t make it more special for the fans.”
The Airlink Pumas are through to the 2026 #CurrieCup final 👏🏉#SSRugby | #CarlingCurrieCup pic.twitter.com/6poSTGAY2d
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 6, 2026
In a tense first half played under heavy skies in the country’s judicial capital, a penalty from flyhalf Jaco van der Walt in the 18th minute was all either side could show for their efforts in the opening half hour.
The Cheetahs eventually prised open the stubborn Pumas defence six minutes before the break when flanker Ramon Uys went over for a converted try that created some daylight on a gloomy afternoon. 10-0.
The visitors eventually got onto the scoresheet on the stroke of half-time when flyhalf Swart kicked a penalty to reduce the deficit to seven at the break.
FATAL MISTAKE
The Pumas came out of the sheds a different side and took control of the match in the third quarter, with tries to right wing Darren Adonis two minutes after the restart and flanker Roelof Goedhals after 52 minutes giving coach Stonehouse’s charges a 17-10 lead.
Cheetahs hooker Marko Janse van Rensburg helped tie the game up three minutes later with a well worked try, converted by Van der Walt again. 17-17.
Momentum then swung in the Pumas’ favour when replacement hooker Gustav du Rand went over from a driving maul from a lineout penalty close to the Cheetahs’ line.
Swart added the extra points from the touchline to make it 24-17.
But there was to be further drama when home centre Carel-Jan Coetzee saw a bobbling ball fall into his hands to go over with 13 minutes remaining after a lineout penalty of their own, which Van der Walt converted from beneath the posts.
However, no sooner had Van der Walt tied things up again that it was Swart who was putting a second penalty over at the other end on 70 minutes to edge the visitors in front again. 27-24.
From the kick-off, the Cheetahs won a penalty in front of the posts, but instead of taking the points they opted to go for broke with a lineout drive and, to the collective groan of the home crowd, referee Christopher Allison ruled the resultant maul had been held up.
It proved to be a fatal mistake, as the Pumas held on in a tense closing few minutes but not before the Cheetahs had one final chance to somehow claw their way back into the match when the visitors coughed up the ball inside the home 22 with two minutes remaining.
From the resulting scrum the hosts attacked upfield but centre Sango Xamlashe managed to turn the ball over on the hooter to give the Pumas the penalty and send the coaching box into a frenzy.
“The guys showed a lot of character in the first half, defending all the time, but we came out in the second half and started playing some rugby,” said Pumas captain Willie Engelbrecht. “We’re very excited to go to Kimberley.”
Stonehouse was almost in tears after the match, saying, “We needed this one and we worked hard for this.”
Indeed they did, and now it’s all to play for at Suzuki Stadium next Saturday as the men from Nelspruit attempt to emulate their 2022 predecessors and lift the golden trophy in the City of Diamonds.
Scorers:
Toyota Cheetahs 24 – Tries: Ramon Uys, Marko Janse van Rensburg, Carel-Jan Coetzee; Conversions: Jaco van der Walt (3); Penalty: Van der Walt.
Airlink Pumas 27 – Tries: Darren Adonis, Roelof Goedhals, Gustav du Rand; Conversions: Clinton Swart (3); Penalties: Swart (2).