The Cheetahs were in a strong position to secure victory, leading with 30 minutes to play and benefiting from the Pumas being reduced to 14 players. The Pumas hooker Jan-Henning Campher was issued a straight red card for a croc roll on Jeandré Rudolph, and the Cheetahs have exploited this. However, the Pumas mounted an impressive comeback to win 46-38.

Fortunately for the Cheetahs, the Valke did them a huge favour by stunning the Boland Cavaliers with a 43-26 win. Although the Cavaliers remain ahead of the Cheetahs on the log, they still have to face tough opponents such as the Suzuki Griquas and the Pumas.

That said, there is absolutely no room for error for the Cheetahs anymore – they must finish in the top four to qualify for the Currie Cup later this year.

The Cheetahs are on the road again this week as they travel to Gqeberha to take on Allister Coetzee’s Eastern Province – a match they simply must win.

After that, Free State will enjoy four consecutive home games, hosting the Griffons, SWD Eagles, Valke, and Border Bulldogs in Bloemfontein. Securing the full 25 points from their next five games is non-negotiable.

The Cheetahs hooker and captain, Chucky van der Westhuizen, told OFM Sport that they need to pull themselves together, with no excuses for their defeat to the Pumas over the weekend.

Jeandré Rudolph. Photo: Morgan Piek

“It’s obviously massively disappointing that we didn’t get the win,” said the Namibian international.

“We went there to win, but we made a lot of mistakes – especially in defence. We also gave away scrum penalties, which isn’t like us.

“The Pumas capitalised on our errors and did well in that aspect of the game. But it’s still disappointing, and we can’t make any excuses – there were too many penalties and defensive lapses.

‘We’ll always strive to be better’

“That said, our attack is improving. Once we hit our stride and everything clicks, we’ll be a solid team. Right now, we just need to learn faster and start applying what the coaches are drilling into us during training.

“Until we get that right, we won’t be satisfied – we’ll always strive to be better.”

Eastern Province and the Cheetahs will face off at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday at 15:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg