Pumas 'rooting' for the Lions
The Pumas will not be in action in the Currie Cup’s Round Nine action, but they still have a vested interest in the Easter weekend matches.
The Nelspruit-based outfit kept alive their play-off hopes, with back-to-back wins against Western Province (37-11 in Cape Town) and Lions (45-10 in Nelspruit).
However, every game now is a ‘must win’ if they are to stay in touch with the leading pack – the table-topping Bulls (30 points from seven matches), the unbeaten Cheetahs (26 from six), Sharks (22 from seven) and Griquas (16 from seven).
The Pumas are just a point further down (15 from seven).
Griquas travel to Johannesburg this week, where they will face the Lions at the Wits University ground on Thursday.
The Lions can do the Nelspruit team a huge favour if they are to record their first win of the season against the ambitious Kimberley outfit.
However, the Pumas will still have it all to do when they resume their league fixtures next month.
With a four-week break and their next match only on May 7 (against the Sharks in Durban) it is going to be tough maintaining the momentum.
To assist them in that regard, they have arranged friendlies for their B-team against the Falcons and Leopards, while they will face off against the powerful Pretoria club Naka Bulls with two teams this coming Easter weekend.
“We need that game to be ready to play the Sharks,” coach Jimmy Stonehouse said of their next Currie Cup outing.
The big advantage is that there are no injuries and they will have a full squad to select from for the warm-up match.
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The skipper, Willie Engelbrecht, said the key to turning around their season was eliminating those individual errors that cost them so dearly earlier in the season.
“We are starting to play like a team and everyone is starting to believe in one another,” he told @rugby365com.
“It is important that we keep up those standards.”
They have the advantage of playing Griquas (their main rivals for the fourth spot) and Western Province at home.
The battle-hardened Pumas required barely a quarter to seal the bonus-point win against the hapless Lions outfit last week.
“We are well-aware these were not the most challenging opposition we will have in the competition,” Stonehouse said.
The key was maintaining their composure and structure, with captain Willie Engelbrecht admitting there was a risk of players becoming selfish once the game was over as a contest.
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