Another try for the Pumas during the Currie Cup. (Photo: Twitter/ Currie Cup)
The characteristics of a good team, the former Springbok rugby coach Kitch Christie always said, is still to stay on the winning side, even if he does not do well in all his matches.
The Pumas, who won the Currie Cup last season, showed this in Mbombela on Friday evening when they beat Griekwas 28-13.
The match was characterized by over-eagerness and a series of mistakes by both teams because they know each other’s weaknesses and strengths.
After all, they have been competing against each other for years and follow almost the same pattern of play. The teams’ two coaches, Jimmy Stonehouse (Pumas) and Pieter Bergh (Greece), know all the short cuts, but they have learned the art of improving players’ skills and ensuring that there are always players on the conveyor belt around the players’ bellies to supplement the larger, richer unions.
However, the Pumas have a lot more confidence thanks to their status as Currie Cup champions and consistency is now one of their watchwords.
The Pumas (14 points) are only one point behind the Free State Cheetahs (15), who beat the Blue Bulls in Bloemfontein with 32-7.
However, the Free Staters will be chewing stones in the Currie Cup series for the next few weeks because the Free State Cheetahs are also competing overseas.
The Free State Cheetahs play against the Pumas next Friday and will have to dig very deep.
The Pumas are followed by the Western Province (10), Lions (8), Sharks (6), Griquas (5), Blue Bulls (1) and Griffons (0) on the leaderboard.
The Lions, who beat the Griffons at Ellis Park 41-26 after trailing at half-time, play against the Sharks this coming Saturday.
The Bulls, who are still unsigned, travel to Welkom on Friday to take on the Griffons and rest assured that they will not always feel welcome.
Griquas travel to Cape Town for their showdown on April 1 against the WP.
Scorers:
Pumas 28 (7): Tries: Etienne Taljaard, Brandon Thomson, André Fouché. Goals: Tins of Beer (2). Penalty goals: Thomson, De Beer (2).
Griquas 13 (3): Three: Carl Els. Goal kick: Lubabalo Dobela. Penalty goals: Dobela (2).
