Currie Cup · Semi-final
Cheetahs
Pumas
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Championship Standings
Final 2026 league table, before the semi-finals: Griquas 31 points, Cheetahs 27, Pumas 22 and Lions 20. The Lions and Sharks each drew once; points differences are shown only for the four teams whose seven results were checked.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Griquas | 7 | 6 | 1 | +128 | 31 |
| 2 | Cheetahs | 7 | 5 | 2 | +19 | 27 |
| 3 | Pumas | 7 | 4 | 3 | +6 | 22 |
| 4 |  Lions | 7 | 3 | 3 | +47 | 20 |
| 5 |  Sharks | 7 | 3 | 3 | — | 18 |
| 6 |  Boland Cavaliers | 7 | 3 | 4 | — | 16 |
| 7 | Stormers XXIII | 7 | 3 | 4 | — | 16 |
| 8 |  Bulls | 7 | 0 | 7 | — | 6 |
Cheetahs
W3, L2The Cheetahs have won three of their last five Currie Cup games, with 173 points scored and 178 conceded. Their last three alone cost 128 points against the Bulls, Boland and Pumas, so the defensive concern extends beyond last week’s defeat. All three home league games were wins, but that record does not make the 52–26 loss irrelevant.
Pumas
W4, L1The Pumas have four wins from five Currie Cup games, scoring 148 points and conceding 117. The 52–26 win over these opponents is powerful recent evidence, but it followed a 14–38 home defeat to Griquas. Their two recent away wins, 33–31 against the Bulls and 20–15 against Boland, were competitive rather than comfortable.
Head-to-Head Record
4 – 0 – 2
Cheetahs wins · Draws · Pumas wins (last 6 Currie Cup meetings, all venues)
Cheetahs (4)The Cheetahs lead the last six Currie Cup meetings 4–2, from March 2023 to August 2026, across all venues. Last week’s 52–26 Pumas win ended four consecutive Cheetahs victories in this competition. SA Cup meetings are excluded; the almost level scoring average reflects big wins in both directions rather than six close games.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-29 | Currie Cup | Pumas 52–26 Cheetahs |
| 2025-08-01 | Currie Cup | Cheetahs 42–25 Pumas |
| 2024-09-07 | Currie Cup | Pumas 14–41 Cheetahs |
| 2023-06-24 | Currie Cup | Cheetahs 25–17 Pumas |
| 2023-06-03 | Currie Cup | Pumas 14–29 Cheetahs |
| 2023-03-31 | Currie Cup | Cheetahs 21–61 Pumas |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Cheetahs 30.7 – Pumas 30.5 across these 6 meetings.
Extended Form
CheetahsW5, L4
5 September 2025–4 September 2026; Currie Cup only, 9 matches, 281 scored and 286 conceded.
The Cheetahs are 5–4 across nine Currie Cup matches in the twelve-month window. It includes September 2025 defeats to the Bulls and Griquas, followed by a 5–2 league campaign this year. Their seven 2026 games produced 245 points for and 226 against, a thin +19 difference for a second-place finish.
PumasW4, L4
5 September 2025–4 September 2026; Currie Cup only, 8 matches, 214 scored and 214 conceded.
The Pumas are 4–4 across eight Currie Cup matches in this window. The September 2025 loss to the Sharks precedes this year’s 4–3 league campaign, with a +6 points difference. SA Cup results are deliberately separate from this competition-specific comparison.
Cheetahs XV
The official 4 September announcement names Nkosi, Janse van Rensburg and Dos Reis in the front row, with Wegner and Sekekete at lock. De Klerk partners Van der Walt, Du Plessis starts at inside centre and Jasper at fullback. The club lists 13 injured players, including Blommetjies, so this is a confirmed selection with important absences rather than a full-strength claim.
Pumas XV
The Middelburg Observer’s dated 4 September match preview lists the same starting XV as the previous week, captained by Engelbrecht. Bursey and Swart remain at halfback, and Ruwald van der Merwe is named among the replacements. Adonis is included on the wing; his selection is reported without inferring disciplinary rules or a suspension outcome.
Key Matchups
The Cheetahs need the selected tight five to provide a more stable platform and make the Pumas work through phases rather than attack repeated short fields. Continuity gives the visiting pack a modest edge, but no verified scrum-win or maul-conversion percentage is available. De Klerk and Van der Walt offer the hosts a route to territorial control, while Bursey and Swart retain the combination that worked last week. Improved defensive organisation matters more than simply counting selection changes.
Match Forecast
Cheetahs by two, with considerably less separation than last week’s score suggests in the opposite direction. The -1 scorecard reflects the Pumas’ recent form and continuity, balanced by a home venue and a 4–2 Cheetahs record across the last six Currie Cup meetings. The legacy mapping produces a 63.4% home probability and a 2.15-point margin, rounded to 63% and two.
The main objection is the Cheetahs’ defence: 128 points conceded in three games cannot be explained away as one rotated selection. They also list 13 injured players, while the Pumas keep the XV that won 52–26. A narrow home call allows for the venue and changed personnel without dismissing that result; the 0–7-point band is an editorial home-win scenario, not a measured confidence interval.
Cheetahs by two, but only if their defensive response matches the home advantage.
The Pumas won the latest meeting on 29 August in the Currie Cup league phase.
The Cheetahs allowed 52 against the Bulls, 24 against Boland and 52 against the Pumas in their last three games.
Cheetahs’ record in the latest six Currie Cup meetings with the Pumas, all venues; SA Cup games excluded.
The Cheetahs won all three home league matches in 2026, scoring 105 points and conceding 72.
The official Cheetahs announcement lists 13 unavailable players; the preview does not assume a full-strength side.