Cheetahs vs Pumas Predictions - Cheetahs set to beat the Pumas in crunch semi-final clash

Brad Newcomb

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Last updated: 2 hours ago

Brad Newcomb 2 hours ago

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Cheetahs won 3 consecutive home matches; strong home form.
Pumas beat Cheetahs at home last week but struggle in Bloemfontein.
Cheetahs tipped to cover the handicap in the semi-final.

The Cheetahs have often defeated the Pumas in recent clashes (Getty Images)

The Cheetahs have performed well to reach the semi-finals of this edition of the Currie Cup and have had success against the Pumas at home in recent clashes. The Pumas have had a solid campaign, but have struggled to beat the Cheetahs in recent match-ups.

Cheetahs have won 3 consecutive home fixtures (Currie Cup).
Cheetahs have won 2 consecutive home matches against the Pumas (Currie Cup).
Pumas have won 2 of their last 4 away games (Currie Cup).
Pumas have lost 4 of their last 5 matches against the Cheetahs (Currie Cup).

Head to Head

The Cheetahs have the advantage over the Pumas, with 13 victories to eight, including one draw in 22 meetings in the Currie Cup since 2010.

Cheetahs Form

The Cheetahs had no answer in their final fixture of the regular season last weekend, losing 52-26 away to the Pumas after trailing their opponents 28-7 at half-time.

Earlier in their campaign, the team based in Bloemfontein edged the Lions 29-27 at home, beat the Sharks 43-21 at home, and lost 24-21 away to the Griquas before defeating the Stormers 31-26 away, the Bulls 62-52 away and Boland 33-24 at home.

The Toyota Cheetahs placed second in the Currie Cup standings with 27 points after seven rounds.

The Cheetahs will start confidently to come out on top in their semi-final match, as they have been in great touch at home lately, winning three on the trot, and they have defeated the Pumas in four of their last five meetings.

Pumas Form

The Pumas ended their regular season campaign on a high last weekend, thumping the Cheetahs 52-26 at home after leading 28-7 at the break.

Before that result, the team from Mpumalanga lost 26-24 at home to the Sharks and 52-29 to the Lions away from home before beating Boland 20-15 away, the Bulls 33-31 away, and the Stormers 29-7 at home before losing 38-14 to the Griquas at home.

The Airlink Pumas finished third in the Carling Currie Cup table with 22 points from seven matches.

The Pumas have been in solid form in recent outings and got the better of the Cheetahs last weekend; however, they will have to play well to beat their hosts in the semi-final, as they have lost twice in a row in Bloemfontein.

Team News

Cheetahs

Carel-Jan Coetzee, Stefan Venter, Daniel Maartens, and Michael Annies each scored a try against the Pumas last weekend.

Tiaan Swanepoel slotted two conversions in the match, while Faf de Klerk kicked over a conversion.

The line-up for the Cheetahs will be added once it has been announced.

Pumas

Chyle van Zyl and JJ Scheepers each scored a brace against the Cheetahs last weekend.

Sango Xamlashe, Tiaan de Klerk, Andre Goedhals, and Ntsika Fisanti contributed a try each.

Clinton Swart slotted six conversions in the match.

The team for the Pumas will be added once it has been announced.

Verdict

Odds have yet to be announced but will be added once they are available.

Brad graduated from the University of South Africa with a Bcom-Management Accounting degree and has a financial background.

His love of sport has seen him venture down the road of researching sporting history for the past several years, specifically boxing, cricket and football.

Other sports of particular interest are golf, tennis, horse racing and motorsports.

Additionally, he spends his time researching the military history of his home country of South Africa.

He is an ardent Liverpool supporter and is known to DJ and release music on occasion.