Pumas vs Cheetahs Preview & Tips - Visitors can stake a claim for the semi's with win in Nelspruit

The Cheetahs have won five of their last six matches against the Pumas. It was the Cheetahs who won 17-16 when the two met in Bloemfontein earlier this season.

The Pumas come into this match knowing that victory could mean a place in the semi-finals for the first time in more than a decade. They currently reside in fourth spot on 28 points and depending on other results, could move into third with a win.

It has been a superb season for the perennial underdogs from Nelspruit. They did lose 17-16 to the Cheetahs earlier this season but since then results have improved.

Last weekend the Pumas staged a late comeback to draw 40-40 against Western Province. That took plenty out of them and the results were clear in midweek.

The Pumas were brilliant against the Bulls on Wednesday and led comfortably but allowed the defending champs to come back at win 33-26. They crucially picked up a losing bonus point though.

Defeat will only dent the Pumas chances of making the playoffs. They will still want to secure a knockout spot with victory so we expect them to remain largely unchanged from Wednesday’s game.

The Cheetahs are currently sixth on the Currie Cup table and only two points off the final playoff spot. With two matches to play in the round robin stage, this is a must-win for the Free State outfit.

After disappointing run of no wins in four matches, the Cheetahs finally managed to get over the line in their last match. They beat Griquas 33-32 at the Toyota Stadium.

Prior to that the Cheetahs had lost twice to the Sharks, once to Western Province and drew against the Lions. Disappointing defence cost them dearly as three of those four matches could easily have fallen in their favour.

The Cheetahs simply must win this encounter against the Pumas to remain in the hunt for a semi-final birth. Minimal changes are expected but we could see Robert Ebersohn make his first start since returning to the Cheetahs.