
Pumas' late try seals the victory
The Pumas and Griffons teams did not hold back and played hard rugby in round two of the Women's First Division that took place on July 12 at Patriot High School's fields.
The match was very even and devolved into a seesaw battle, with neither team maintaining control of the game for long.
Whenever one team managed to break through, the other would step up its defences and respond with fierce counterattacks.
Both teams' forwards worked tirelessly, setting the pace for high-speed backline manoeuvres.
With the clock winding down, the Pumas dug deep and from a scrum, sliced passed, securing the winning try.
The final score was 19–24.
Sbusiso Ngomane, the Pumas assistant coach, said last year they beat the Griffons 12 – 54 on their home ground.
'Credit to them, they changed their squad, only five players were in the team that lost last year. They clearly have put in the work, and they will surprise everyone they will be playing against. We definitely didn't expect a fire backline like that. Holding them back for that long is a testament to our ability to defend. They actually looked like they had watched our matches and properly analysed how we play, that put us under a lot of pressure,' Ngomane said.
SEE THE PHOTOS HERE:
Breaking news at your fingertips … Follow WITBANK NEWS on our website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok
Chat to us: [email protected]
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Citizen
7 hours ago
- The Citizen
Currie Cup result: Boland stun Cheetahs in Wellington
Both teams scored five tries in a hugely entertaining game. The Boland Cavaliers got their 2025 Currie Cup campaign off to the perfect start when they stunned the Cheetahs 37-35 in their opening game in Wellington on Sunday afternoon. Hawies Fourie's team qualified for the top-eight Premier Division of the Currie Cup after performing well in the SA Cup competition some months ago. The newcomers to the Premier Division dominated the opening half of the match and led 27-14 at half-time. But the Cheetahs responded with an energised second half performance and looked to have sewn the match up deep into the half. But two late tries by the Bolanders, the final one well into over-time, secured a dramatic win for Fourie and his charges. Both teams scored five tries in a hugely entertaining game. The Cheetahs' coaching staff of Frans Steyn and Ruan Pienaar will not be happy after their side got back into the game in the second half, just to give it away at the end. The Cheetahs are next up against the Pumas at home on Friday, while Boland take on Griquas in Kimberley next Sunday. In the other matches this weekend, the Pumas beat Griquas 49-28 in Mbombela, the Lions beat the Sharks 46-5 in Joburg and the Bulls beat Western Province 48-23 in Cape Town.


The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Currie Cup result: Pumas' Visagie punishes yellow-fever Griquas
Visagie scored one of the Pumas' six tries and booted five conversions and three penalties from the tee. NELSPRUIT, SOUTH AFRICA – JULY 25: Danrich Visagie of the Airlink Pumas during the Carling Currie Cup match between Airlink Pumas and Suzuki Griquas at Mbombela Stadium on July 25, 2025 in Nelspruit, South Africa. (Photo by Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images) Flyhalf Danrich Visagie scored 24 points on Friday night to spearhead the Pumas to a bonus-point win in Nelspruit, where Griquas paid the price for three yellow cards. The lead changed hands seven times in a breathless first half of the 2025 Currie Cup opener before the 2022 champions raced away in the second to win 49-28, punishing a Griquas side that lost both halfbacks – Caleb Abrahams and George Whitehead – to the sin bin, along with winger Gershwin Wehr. Visagie stole the show Visagie scored one of the Pumas' six tries and booted five conversions and three penalties from the tee, while the visitors crossed the line three times in reply. Sango Xamlashe and Eddie Swart also dotted down in frantic half, giving the hosts a narrow 25-23 advantage at the break, with Whitehead keeping Griquas in the hunt through a try, two conversions and three penalties. But once the dam wall broke, the flood followed. Wiaan van Niekerk, JJ Scheepers and Darren Adonis added second half tries as the Pumas romped clear, sealing a statement win to kick off their Currie Cup campaign in style. In round 2, the Pumas travel to Bloemfontein to battle the Cheetah while Griquas host Boland. This story was first published on It is republished here with permission.


The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Currie Cup kick-off: All eight teams in with shout of lifting trophy
An exciting Currie Cup competition could be in store this year with the 'big four' opting to field weakened teams. The Currie Cup looks like it will revert to type for its 2025 edition, with the so-called 'top-four' being seriously challenged for the title by the 'lower teams' in the coming weeks. The competition kicks off this weekend. In recent times, due to South African rugby's year-long schedule, the Currie Cup has turned into a bit of a feeder competition for the main four franchises, with the Bulls, Western Province, Sharks and Lions choosing to rest their best players and give youngsters a chance ahead of the United Rugby Championship. This has seen a slightly unexpected, but entertaining turn when it's come to the finals, like the Pumas beating the Griquas in 2022 and the Cheetahs beating the Pumas in 2023. But last year, the Bulls, Lions and Sharks backed stronger squads towards the end of the competition, which led to an exciting campaign that ended with the Sharks edging the Lions in a thrilling final at Ellis Park. This year, however, all of the big four have backed weakened squads, leaving out most of their best URC players, which has once again opened the door for the Pumas, Cheetahs and Griquas to seriously challenge for the title. The Boland Cavaliers also make a return to the big time for the first time in a number of years and it will be interesting to see how they fare with a wily old coach in Hawies Fourie, and a couple of interesting signings. SA Cup In the lower division SA Cup competition, that was battled out earlier in the year, the Pumas powered to a dominant title win, with the Griquas finishing runners-up, while the Cheetahs and Cavaliers were knocked out in the semis. Where the big four franchises could receive a boost is the inclusion of a raft of Junior Springbok stars who shone during their World Rugby U20 Championship winning campaign in Italy recently. If some of those players are able to make a seamless step up to senior rugby, they could make a big splash in the Currie Cup. The first weekend of action should give a good indication of how things will turn out, with a number of tasty encounters. In a replay of last year's final, the Lions take on the Sharks in Johannesburg on Saturday, and the hosts will be out for revenge, while the defending champs will want to start on a good note. Also on Saturday fierce URC rivals Western Province and the Bulls will battle it out in Cape Town and both will be eager for bragging rights. On Friday night a replay of the SA Cup final sees the Pumas host the Griquas in Mbombela, while the Cavaliers will be gunning to stun the Cheetahs in their opener in Wellington on Sunday. Currie Cup opening weekend fixtures Friday Pumas v Griquas at the Mbombela Stadium: 7pm kick-off Saturday Lions v Sharks at Ellis Park: 3pm kick-off Western Province v Bulls at the Cape Town Stadium: 5:10pm kick-off Sunday Boland Cavaliers v Cheetahs at the Boland Stadium: 3pm kick-off