Apart from a warm-up match against the Bulls, the Pumas have not played any other rugby in more than a year.

By contrast, the Cheetahs still played in the Guinness PRO14 as recently as March, while they had back-to-back warm-up games against the Griquas.

The Pumas have made some smart signings over the past couple of months, and not less than three players who still played for the Free State last season will be eligible for selection.

They are Daniel Maartens, Ali Mgijima and Dian Badenhorst who are yet to debut for the team from Nelspruit.

Pumas coach, Jimmy Stonehouse, told OFM Sport that the opponents will want to prove a point.

“We are happy to be back and we want to prove ourselves against the big unions.

“It’s going to be great playing against the Cheetahs this weekend. They are wounded because of what SA Rugby did to them.  

“It’s great to be back and we are looking forward to it. It’s going to be a fantastic weekend starting with the Unlocked competition. We are really looking forward to it and I hope that it’s going to be a great spectacle.

“It’s also going to be something new for the players with no spectators, but you can just expect that it’s going to be a good encounter.

“The Cheetahs have got a lot to prove and they are going to want to show the world that they belong there.

“It’s going to be a tough one, but we are really looking forward to it.”

Saturday’s match at the Toyota Stadium kicks off at 16:30. Both the Cheetahs and the Pumas are expected to name their teams for the match on Thursday afternoon.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport