Jimmy Stonehouse: 'What about us?'

The SA Cup, for all intents and purposes, a third-tier qualifying competition, reaches the play-offs stages this week.

The defending-champion Pumas host the Cheetahs in Nelspruit, while Boland travel to Kimberley to face the table-topping Griquas in the semifinals.

All four provinces have, as a result of reaching the last four, qualified to play in the Currie Cup later this year.

Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse believes the SA Cup is still being treated as the proverbial ‘red-headed stepchild’, despite the significant role it plays in the broader South African rugby landscape.

In fact, matches rarely get television coverage and television match officials, an integral part of the modern game, are conspicuous by their absence.

For these four teams, it is still a massive weekend on a cluttered stage, where ‘international’ tournaments like the United Rugby Championship take centre stage.

The Pumas won the Currie Cup in 2022, a year later played in the Final, in 2024 they featured in the SA Cup Final and last year won the SA Cup.

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“I have read a lot about why Griquas must ‘qualify’ for the Currie Cup, as defending champions,” Stonehouse said.

“We featured in four finals in the last four years, and nobody asks why the Pumas must play in a qualifying tournament.

The Pumas have again performed strongly in the SA Cup, finishing second in the league phase with 38 points to secure a home semifinal against the Cheetahs.

They finished with a strong 61–12 win against the Griffons on May 8 and will host the Cheetahs in Nelspruit on Saturday.

Because of the limited television coverage and resulting absence of television match officials, some results could have gone the other way.

However, unlike last year, when the defending champions went through the competition unbeaten, the Pumas did not keep a clean sheet this year.

The only blots on their 2026 record are a 10-point (34-44) loss to the table-topping Griquas in Round Seven, and the weather-cancelled encounter with the Cheetahs, which was recorded as a draw, with points shared.

They also recorded several runaway wins, beating the Griffons 61–12, the Leopards 85–0 and the Border Bulldogs 94-5.

With the Cheetahs game having been called off due to a dangerous thunderstorm in Bloemfontein back in March, there is a measure of ‘reservation’ ahead of Saturday’s semifinal face-off in Nelspruit.

“Defending our title is important for this union,” Stonehouse told Rugby365.

He added that while the Cheetahs may have had some ‘patchy form’ earlier in the season, they have shown an upwards curve in the latter rounds.

“The hype around them potentially missing the Currie Cup cut adds another dimension to the game.

“Because it is a legacy team and one of the ‘big’ unions, they get the publicity.

“All the teams, including the Pumas, were also fighting for their survival.

“That is why I feel there is an argument to be made to expand the Currie Cup.

“SWD certainly deserves to be playing in the Currie Cup this year,” Stonehouse said of the Heyneke Meyer-coach team from George, who lost out to Boland on points difference.

The Pumas coach acknowledges that smaller unions like Border, Eastern Province, Leopards and Griffons also need some attention and support, especially in the current financial climate, where funding is hard to come by.

“Let us look back over the last six years. What happened to all those Craven Week players?

“However, the challenge is to secure the funding to pay those salaries.

“I don’t believe only the four big unions [Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions] produce all the Springboks.

“There are some well-documented Springboks from the smaller unions and that should not be ignored.”

Some of the more famous names who took their first tentative steps at the Nelspruit-based union include double World Cup winners like Duane Vermeulen, Faf de Klerk and Vincent Koch, to mention a few.

“For the game in South Africa, we have to find employment for all the fringe players that fall by the wayside.”

While a place in the Final is the primary focus for both teams, some players can also use the event to showcase their talent to the more cash-flush franchises.

The ‘no-name’ Pumas team know that the Cheetahs’ experience of having featured in the European Challenge Cup earlier this season will come in handy on this occasion.

“Their maul is one of their biggest assets, along with their kicking game, and once they get momentum with the ball in hand, our defence will be tested.

“Our strength is to play as a unit, and then the motivation is to defend our title and show we deserve our spot in the Currie Cup.”