On the weekend a brilliant first half performance resulted in the Cheetahs thumping a very young Bulls team 35-5 at the Toyota Stadium to finish at the top of the log.

In Nelspruit the Griquas had to grind to a 45-44 win over the Pumas to finish in third. This means the Peacock Blues will travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls.

The Cheetahs are well aware that the semi-final won’t be a walk in the park, but they will want to improve on their recent 29-28 defeat to the Pumas in Bloemfontein.

While the Cheetahs won in convincing fashion, the Cheetahs' coach, Hawies Fourie, told OFM Sport they will still need to make a step-up in the semi-finals and possible final. Especially in the second half.

“There was a lot of pressure on us because didn't play well in the previous two weeks. The guys responded really well.

“I was a little bit disappointed with the second half performance. We got to be more mature in keeping the execution better in the second half.

“We lost a lot of lineouts, a lot of possession, while there were handling errors and we conceded six penalties.

“We made it quite difficult for ourselves.”

Saturday’s semi-final between the Cheetahs and Pumas at the Toyota Stadium kicks off at 14:00, while at 17:00 the Bulls entertain the Griquas at Loftus Versfeld.

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport