It is easy to figure out why the Airlink Pumas have lost their way in the second half of their historic first ever season as Carling Currie Cup champions - you just have to look at the teams selected for last year’s final in Kimberley and for Friday’s do-or-die return clash at the same venue.
The Pumas shocked everyone with the exception of their confident coach Jimmy Stonehouse when they outplayed Windhoek Draught Griquas 26-19, and that score was flattering to the losers, in last year’s decider played in front of a packed house at Windhoek Draught Park.
Griquas started as clear favourites to add to their only modern era title they won in 1970 but the Pumas had made it the hard way through a pulsating comeback from the dead against the Toyota Cheetahs in their semifinal and they retained that momentum when it mattered most.
Those who journeyed to Nelspruit for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship opener between the Springboks and the All Blacks in early August last year would have been struck by what the Pumas win meant to the region. There was a definite rugby vibe in the city that predated the Bok and All Black arrival and the Currie Cup trophy was still doing its tour of the offices and other working places in Nelspruit as the triumph was used to sell both the team and the sport.
The Pumas can still retain that trophy if they dig deep like they did last year, but most will consider them to be underdogs against a Griquas side that started to pick up form in the latter part of the competition, culminating in their good win over a DHL Western Province team that included a couple of URC finalists last week.
INJURIES HAVE CUT A SWATHE
After a great start to the season, where they thumped the Vodacom Bulls and helped send that union into what at the time looked like a crisis, the Pumas have lost their way subsequently, losing five of their last six games and losing what at one stage looked like a strong chance to top the final log.
And here’s why it might have happened: Stonehouse often alludes to his role being that of a coach who produces players for the bigger unions/franchises. The man who led the Pumas to their Currie Cup win for instance is now playing for WP and was part of the Stormers squad that lost the URC final to Munster.
But there’s more to the Pumas’ struggles than just the players they lost in the off-season. They’ve also suffered a wave of injuries, 10 to top players to be precise, and while some of those are coming back into the game at just the right time, the bare facts tell a story - of the 15 players who started last year’s final for the Pumas, just six will be taking the field in the starting team in Kimberley.
The six survivors from last year’s final are fullback Devon Williams, halfbacks Tinus de Beer and Chriswill September, locks Shane Kirkwood and Deon Slabbert and loosehead prop Corne Fourie. There are two players from the reserve bench in last year’s final who are involved again in the form of Francois Kleinhans, who starts this time, while Giovan Snyman will fulfil the same reserve scrumhalf role playing off the bench on Saturday that he did last year.
JUST OVER A THIRD OF LAST YEAR’S WINNING UNIT REMAIN
Tally that up and you get eight survivors from a squad of 23. That’s just over a third of the squad being the same, which means there is little continuity to talk of and you can’t even begin to argue in favour of a Pumas win on Friday because the Pumas players have tasted Currie Cup success. Only a smattering of them have, the rest are newcomers to the pressures of what will effectively be a playoff game as the winner will go through to the semifinals while the loser will drop out.
Stonehouse though remains relatively confident of coming through in what he predicts will be a “dog fight” in Kimberley, though he clearly has a lot of respect for his opponents.
“They have an unbelievable pack of forwards, with captain Henru Sirgel leading from the front, and if you look at the backline, they have quality across the board,” Stonehouse told reporters this week.
“You can’t ask for more. They have an attacking flyhalf, two massive centres and wings in Rosko Specman and Luther Obi who can run you ragged. George Whitehead doesn’t miss his kicks at goal, and his tactical kicking is outstanding. They will come with everything to get revenge for last year’s final loss, and to make it into the playoffs.”
FIVE CHANGES
Stonehouse described Griquas as a never say die team, just like his own, which was proved when they came back so strongly from dire positions last season. They will need to show that same spirit again if they are to prevail in Kimberley, a game for which Stonehouse has made five changes to the side that lost to the Cheetahs in the penultimate league game.
Three of those come to the pack, and include one positional switch, with Corne Fourie switching to loosehead prop from hooker to find space in the team for Pieter Jacobs at hooker, while the backline has two changes following their defeat to the Cheetahs.
One of the most significant changes sees Currie Cup winning scrumhalf Chriswill September return in the No 9 for Snyman, thus reverting to their starting player/back-up status from last year’s final.
Pumas: Devon Williams, Andrew Kota, Diego Appollis, Ali Mgijima, Etienne Taljaard, Tinus de Beer, Chriswill September, Kwanda Dimaza, Francois Kleinhas, Andre Fouche, Shane Kirkwood (captain), Deon Slabbert, Simon Raw, Pieter Jacobs, Corne Fourie.
Replacements: Darnell Osuagwu, Etiene Janeke, Dewald Maritz, Malembe Mpofu, Ruwald van der Merwe, Giovan Snyman, Gene Willemse, Wian Van Niekerk.