Injury concerns for Cheetahs and Pumas ahead of Currie Cup final

The Cheetahs and Pumas are facing some injury troubles ahead of the Currie Cup final to be played at Free State Stadium on Saturday.

The teams from Bloemfontein and Mbombela set up their cat fight with impressive wins over the Bulls and Sharks respectively at the weekend, but they were left to count the costs with a few injury worries after the games.

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In the Cheetahs’ thumping 39-10 win at Free State Stadium, they lost experienced loosehead prop Schalk Ferreira and replacement tighthead prop Hencus van Wyk to head knocks, which could rule them out of this weekend’s match.

However, coach Hawies Fourie struck a hopeful tone when asked about the injuries after the match, insisting they did have cover if needed.

“It is a big concern. Obviously they will have to pass the (HIA) tests. We will see how it goes in the week,” said Fourie.

“Luckily Moxie (Nqoba Mxoli) had some game time last week, he played well and his head is in a good space. So he will be ready if needed.

“Lourens Victor also recovered from his flu earlier in the week, so we will be able to use them if necessary. But hopefully we can get Schalk and Hencus back on the field for the final.”

Inspirational captain

For the Pumas it is inspirational captain Shane Kirkwood that is in doubt, after he suffered a hand injury during their 26-20 win over the Sharks.

The Pumas do not have massive depth in their squad, so losing Kirkwood would be a big blow, but coach Jimmy Stonehouse was hopeful that he would recover.

“I am concerned about Shane Kirkwood. After winning that last ball on the ground he got an injury there, so that is our biggest concern at this moment,” Stonehouse said.

“We will see when we are back in Nelspruit. We don’t have the luxury of flying back or staying another day in the hotel. Hopefully, he (Kirkwood) can stretch a bit and recover (on the way back).”

In all it is set to be an exciting match up as the Cheetahs attempt to win their first Currie Cup title since 2019, while the Pumas are gunning to defend the title they won for the first time last year.