It’s a quick turnaround this week, with the Cheetahs set to face the Pumas on Friday night in Bloemfontein. 

The team only returned to the Free State capital on Monday and has limited training sessions available to prepare for the clash against the reigning SA Cup champions. The Pumas would have taken note of the Cheetahs’ shortcomings, which they will aim to exploit, just as they did in their convincing win over the Suzuki Griquas in Nelspruit in the competition's opener.

Gideon van der Merwe. Photo: Morgan Piek

That said, the Cheetahs have had time to reflect on their narrow loss to Boland. While several aspects of their game left much to be desired, the 2023 champions showed grit and refused to back down in Wellington.

With this year’s Currie Cup being a shortened format, there’s little margin for error, making a return to winning ways in Bloemfontein this week non-negotiable. Cheetahs head coach Frans Steyn told OFM Sport that while the loss at Boland Stadium was tough on the players, the focus remains on building from the positives, with confidence, the finer details will fall into place.

“I think, obviously, all of us have egos, so your ego takes a knock and you get emotional. You say a few things, but when you sit down and really look at the game, we made errors we shouldn’t have, and that cost us badly,” said Steyn.

“I had a conversation with the guys this morning. I told them that when I took this job, I wanted this to be a lekker place to be. I want to be honest with everyone. I want us to give everything on the pitch for each other, and if that’s the benchmark, I think the guys left it all out there.

“I’m not saying we didn’t make mistakes. I’m not saying the plan was right or wrong, I’m not talking about that.

“Did we give everything within the plan, or whatever it was? Yes, we did. So, I’m still happy. We kept fighting to the end. Credit to Boland for keeping the ball for almost 10 minutes at the end without making a mistake; that’s impressive.

Andrew Kota and Cohen Jasper. Photo: Morgan Piek

“With that said, there’s still a lot we can and will improve on, small things here and there, first-time tackles and the like. But in terms of effort, I’ve got no problem with that.”

The last time the Cheetahs faced the Pumas in Bloemfontein in the Currie Cup was during the 2023 final, which they won 25-17 to their seventh title.

Friday’s match at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein kicks off at 19:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek  mvh