BLOEMFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA - AUGUST 23: Marko JV Rensburg of the Toyota Free State Cheetahs during the Carling Currie Cup match between Toyota Cheetahs and Fidelity ADT Lions at Toyota Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. (Photo by Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images)
The Cheetahs secured their place in the Currie Cup Premier Division with a tight upset win over the table topping Griquas on Friday, while the Pumas finished second and the Boland Cavaliers secured the final spot in the SA Cup semifinals.
In an absolute thriller, the Cheetahs clinched a 32-31 win over the Griquas in Bloemfontein, with the visitors missing an 84th minute conversion that would have snatched the result and dropped the home side out of the competition, after Saturday’s other results were confirmed.
The Cheetahs would also have missed out on qualifying in the Currie Cup Premier Division and would have had to play First Division rugby this season. According to Sunday publication, Rapport, the one-point win over Griquas, and qualifying for the Premier Division, is worth R6 million.
Teams that play in the Premier Division get R6 million more from the South African Rugby Union each year than the teams that play in the First Division.
Also, Toyota, the Cheetahs’ chief sponsors will be pleased about the result, especially with the Bloemfontein-based team hopeful of a return to the United Rugby Championship, following news that one of the Welsh sides may opt out of the competition from next season.
SA Cup standings
The Cavaliers’ 85-29 win over Eastern Province, and the South Western District Eagles 69-19 win over the Leopards moved them both onto 32 points, and if the Cheetahs had lost, they would have finished on the same points, but below them on the log as they would have won less games.
Instead the Cheetahs finished third and the Cavaliers fourth, with the Eagles unfortunately missing out on both the Currie Cup Premier Division and SA Cup semifinals by the skin of their teeth.
The Pumas made sure they would finish second after thumping the Griffons 61-12 in their final pool match.
Semi-finals
Some enticing semifinals have now been set up for this weekend, with the Griquas hosting the Cavaliers, and Pumas welcoming the Cheetahs for their knockout clashes.
The defending champions, Griquas, will still be considered favourites, despite suffering their first loss of the competition, with them having won every other match with a bonus point, while playing at home should give them a leg up.
The Pumas and Cheetahs will have an interesting match-up, after their pool game in March was abandoned due to lightning, and with both teams currently in-form, it should be an entertaining battle to see who can make it to the final.
