Jimmy Stonehouse wants more backing for teams like the Pumas

Jimmy Stonehouse has again appealed for bigger investment in smaller unions and the chance to play internationally after the Pumas’ mauling of the Bulls on Sunday.

The Pumas laid waste to the Bulls in their opening round clash of the Currie Cup at Loftus Versfeld, with the rampage from the reigning champions ending with the final score of 63-15.

The huge win for the men from Nelspruit was a clear message that they want more than just domestic competition and speaking post-match, coach Stonehouse told reporters: “Except for the motivation [winning the Currie Cup and a result like this brings], we hope there’s a big, big sponsor that will come aboard.

‘Helps with belief’

“But we’re really grateful for the guys helping us currently. Just bringing the community together [since last year’s title win] has been fantastic. Winning last year and a result like this really helps the team with their belief.

“It’s very important because it’s not just something you can assume. The players need to believe that they can win a competition like the Currie Cup because it helps with their aspirations of going to a bigger union and making it there.”

He added: “I told them [on Sunday] morning: if you can beat the Bulls here in their own backyard, people sit up and take notice. The bigger unions notice you because you’re competing at their level.

“As a union, we have our backers who are happily on board and we always hope we can convince others to experience the value we can offer to them.

“But we’ll always struggle in terms of keeping our players if we aren’t participating in an international competition where we can present ourselves and offer a bigger challenge to the players. That’s one of our biggest issues.”

The Pumas, who won last year’s Currie Cup and are the defending champions for the first time this year, host the Lions in a round two match in Nelspruit this weekend.

This story first appeared on sarugbymag.co.za. It is published here with permission. To see the original story, click here.