Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse has hinted that the defending Currie Cup champions will have a few tricks up their sleeves for the Free State Cheetahs on Saturday.
A blockbuster showdown is expected in Bloemfontein, where the Cheetahs and the Pumas clash in the highly-anticipated decider of rugby’s oldest competition.
The men from Mpumalanga earned the right to defend their title this weekend courtesy of victory over the Sharks in Durban, where the visitors got off to a flying start but were on the backfoot in the scrums.
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Speaking in a Pumas media conference on Tuesday, the wily Stonehouse told reporters: “We did struggle a bit in the scrums against the Sharks, that’s for sure [but] I think we’ll be fine against the Cheetahs and it’s not really a concern for us at the moment.
“One of the key focus areas in the final will be the set-pieces, and we have to be 100% ready for it. Our mauls, too, because we know how much of a threat they are from the mauls – it’s probably their biggest weapon. So that’s what we have to get right.
“And at the breakdowns… They keep Jeandre [Rudolph] and Daniel [Maartens] on the bench to later flood the breakdowns. So if the referee can keep an eye on that, then that could possibly also help us.
“We are working on a few things, and you have to bring a little something new to a final … every guy has something up their sleeve…”
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Both teams have shown their quality throughout 2023, and the Free Staters avenged an early-season 61-21 thrashing by the Lowvelders with a 29-14 round 13 win in Nelspruit.
Stonehouse added: “It sometimes makes things easier when other teams underestimate us, but I think in the last six matches against the Cheetahs we’ve won four or five.
“I don’t think [the Cheetahs] will underestimate us, Hawies [Fourie] is too smart for that. The last game in Nelspruit could’ve gone our way, but this week’s a final in Bloemfontein and anything can happen.
“If things work out like we’ve planned and our discipline is 100%, and [flyhalf] Tinus de Beer’s kicking boot is on song, then we can repeat what happened in 2022.
“We’re also fortunate to report no injuries and have the same team available, with no niggles.”
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