Pumas to face wounded Sharks in Durban after Currie Cup drubbing by Lions in Mbombela
The match in Durban is a must-win for both teams, and the pressure on the players will be immense.
The Airlink Pumas will face the Cell C Sharks in Durban on Friday night, July 19, coming off a thrashing by the Fidelity ADT Lions.
The Lions won the Carling Currie Cup match at Mbombela Stadium 75-21 on Friday night, July 12, in what was arguably the Pumas’ worst performance in three seasons.
The Pumas could not match the precision, intensity and pace of the Lions. The visitors were by far the better team on the night.
The home team could not cope with the opposition’s excellent attacking rugby.
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The visitors led by 35-7 at the break and pushed on in the second half, eventually sealing the deal by 75-21 for their second away victory of the season. The Gautengers ran in 10 tries, while the men from the Lowveld could only reply with three five-pointers. The Lions’ fly half, Sam Francis, made a personal contribution of 30 points via a try, eight conversions and three penalty goals, with Tapiwa Mafura scoring a hat-trick of tries.
The Airlink Pumas seemed inexplicably off the boil after a convincing win over the Suzuki Griquas the previous weekend.
The Sharks have their backs to the wall after losing to the Lions at home and the Griquas away in the first two rounds of the Currie Cup.
Another loss for the KwaZulu-Natal team would make it very difficult for them to secure a semi-final spot.
The Airlink Pumas, on the other hand, have something to prove to themselves and their fans. A win is vital for Jimmy Stonehouse’s charges if their planned destiny to qualify for the semis for a third consecutive year is to remain in their hands.
