The Toyota Cheetahs had no answer to the onslaught of the 14-man Airlink Pumas with the men from Mbombela scoring eight tries enroute to a thumping 52-26 (halftime 28-7) bonus-point victory at the Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela on Saturday to setup a Carling Currie Cup semifinal against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein next weekend.


The Pumas, needing a win to secure their place in the final four, played with ferocious intent from the first whistle. They set the tone in the 5th minute when outside centre Sango Xamlashe sliced through the Cheetahs defence to score the opening try, converted by flyhalf Clinton Swart. The home side doubled their lead seven minutes later when a dominant passage of play ended with hooker Chyle van Zyl crashing over from a powerful driving maul, with man of the match Swart adding a superb conversion from the touchline to make it 14-0.


The Cheetahs, despite the presence of World Cup-winning scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, were their own worst enemies, undone by a catalogue of handling errors and a misfiring lineout.


They briefly found a foothold when inside centre Jooste Nel’s grubber was collected by Carel-Jan Jooste for a 24th-minute try, but the Pumas were ruthless. Even while down to 14 men after wing Darren Adonis was yellow-carded, they struck back immediately. Number eight Willie Engelbrecht broke from a scrum and fed flanker Andre Goedhals to restore the 14-point buffer.


The first half ended in disaster for the visitors when another loose pass was hacked downfield, allowing van Zyl to pounce for his second try and the bonus point, sending the Pumas into the break with a commanding 28-7 lead.


The second half offered little respite for the Free State side. A 44th-minute try from their own hooker, Stefan Venter, gave them a glimmer of hope, but the Pumas hit back almost instantly through lock JJ Scheepers. The tries kept coming for the home team, with lock Tiaan de Klerk and a second for Scheepers taking the score to 45-14 before the hour mark.


The Pumas’ task was made harder when Adonis received a second yellow for a high tackle in the 64th minute, resulting in a 20-minute red card. The Cheetahs took advantage of the extra man, scoring two late tries through Daniel Maartens and Michael Annies to secure a bonus point that, depending on other results, could see them finish top of the log. However, the day belonged to the Pumas, who had the final say when replacement Ntsika Fisanti chased down a chip kick to bring up the half-century.


The Cheetahs’ performance was littered with mistakes. They committed nine handling errors in the first half alone and their lineout was a shambles, repeatedly handing possession back to a clinical Pumas outfit who knew exactly how to punish them. Despite enjoying territory and possession, the visitors looked disjointed and failed to build any meaningful pressure.


For the home side, Sango Xamlashe was a constant threat in the midfield, setting the tone with the opening try and proving a handful for the defence all afternoon. Flyhalf Clinton Swart was equally impressive, steering his side around the park with authority and kicking six conversions, many from difficult angles.


The result means these two sides will face each other again next weekend in a semifinal in Bloemfontein. The Cheetahs will need a dramatic improvement if they are to avoid a repeat of this demolition and keep their hopes of hosting the Currie Cup final alive. The Pumas, meanwhile, will travel with immense confidence after knocking the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV out of the competition with one of their most complete performances of the season.