Pumas move their captain for semifinal
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse has tweaked his team ahead of their trip to Bloemfontein.
The Pumas will tackle the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup semifinal on Saturday.
Andre Fouche comes off the bench into the starting XV at No.8, with captain Willie Engelbrecht moving to the flank.
Francois Kleinhans comes onto the bench to provide cover among the loose forwards.
Phumzile Maqondwana drops out of the matchday 23.
Alwayno Visagie is on the bench as cover for the outside backs, with Diego Appollis missing out.
Stonehouse told @rugby365com that he “has a plan” with Engelbrecht for the encounter in the Free State Stadium.
The Stormers-bound Engelbrecht has been a stalwart for the Pumas since 2017, having been on previous loan stints with the Lions and Stormers.
The bruising nature of his game will be crucial on Saturday.
The Pumas last played in a semifinal of South Africa’s premier domestic competition 42 years ago, when they still played under the South-Eastern Transvaal banner.
The Cheetahs won the last of their six Curie Cup titles in 2019. They were also runners-up nine times.
Pumas: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Tapiwa Mafura, 13 Sebastian de Klerk, 12 Eddie Fouche, 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Chriswill September, 8 Andre Fouche, 7 Willie Engelbrecht (captain), 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Shane Kirkwood, 4 Deon Slabbert, 3 Ignatius Prinsloo, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Corne Fourie.
Replacements: 16 Llewellyn Classen, 17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Simon Raw, 19 Kwanda Dimaza, 20 Francois Kleinhans, 21 Giovan Snyman, 22 Ali Mgijima, 23 Alwayno Visagie.
Date: Saturday, June 18
Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 13.30 (11.30 GMT)
Referee: Morné Ferreira
Assistant referees: Paul Mente, Ruhan Meiring
TMO: Marius Jonker
