With the Currie Cup nearing its business end there is plenty at stake for both teams.
The Pumas are back on home soil this Saturday when they face the Stormers in a Currie Cup game. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
After playing their last three matches on the road, the Pumas return home to Mbombela on Saturday for a big meeting with the Stormers in a round five Currie Cup game (5pm).
And Jimmy Stonehouse’s team will take plenty of confidence into the fixture because the Pumas have won their last two matches, both away.
Last week they knocked over the Bulls at Loftus and the week before that they ended the Boland’s unbeaten home run with a win in Wellington.
Those two wins have got them back in the race for the semi-finals in a few weeks’ time, after they lost their opening two games – in round one at home to the Sharks and in round two away to the Lions.
The Pumas are currently in fourth place on the log and a third win in a row this weekend would see them consolidate their position in the playoffs places.
The Stormers meanwhile are very much in the semifinals picture, in fifth place on the log with 11 points, one shy of the Pumas. They’ve also won twice and lost twice.
But they travel to Mpumalanga having suffered a heart-breaking 31-26 loss to the Cheetahs at home last week, to set them back.
Stormers looking to bounce back
It was a good performance, however, from the Capetonians, and they’ll look to build on various aspects of that outing and from their wins against the Sharks and Griquas in challenging the Pumas. Their only real poor showing so far was their almost inexplicable 41-3 defeat to Boland.
In head-to-head encounters, the Cape side lead 3-2 over five games between them.
While Stonehouse will back the majority of his starters from a week ago, Stormers coach Tom Dawson-Squibb has made five changes to his starting team, four of them in the forwards.
Loose forwards Wandile Mlaba and Keke Morabe will both start, along with props Mhleli Khuzwayo and Herman Lubbe, while in the only backline change, wing Joel Leotlela makes his first appearance of the season, in place of Suleiman Hartzenberg who picked up a minor injury against the Cheetahs at Athlone Stadium last Sunday.
JC Mars is included on the replacements bench, providing backline cover along with halfbacks Ezekiel Ngobeni and Kyle Smith.
“It is always tough to go to Mbombela Stadium, and we will need to be on the money throughout to get the win, but it is a challenge that we are looking forward to,” said the Stormers boss.
