{
  "id": 5555107,
  "title": "Griquas and Cheetahs gunning for final, Lions and Pumas eager to upset",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/griquas-and-cheetahs-gunning-for-final-lions-and-pumas-eager-to-upset",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-04T12:31:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/rugby/griquas-cheetahs-gun-final-lions-pumas-upset/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Griquas and Cheetahs are set to vie for the final spot in the upcoming Currie Cup, while the Lions and Pumas are eager to upset their respective opponents. The defending champions, the Griquas, will host the Lions in Kimberley, and the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs will welcome the Pumas at the Toyota Stadium. This could be an exciting rematch of last season's final, where the Lions were the favorites but the Kimberley-based Griquas pulled off a surprising victory with a late penalty. This year, the Griquas are heavy favorites at home, having dominated the competition so far with just one loss, and having also defeated the Lions at home in the early stages of the tournament. However, they'll need to be cautious of a potential backlash from their fans. On the other hand, the Cheetahs are aiming to reach their first Currie Cup final since their triumph in 2023, having been eliminated in the semifinals in the past two years. They face a formidable challenge against the Pumas, who secured their sole Currie Cup title in 2022, but have had more success against the Cheetahs in recent competitions and the South African Cup. The home advantage could play a crucial role for the Cheetahs, who were defeated by the Pumas in Mbombela last weekend, 52-26, and will draw on the experience of experienced coach Frans Steyn and double World Cup-winning scrum-half Faf de Klerk. Steyn expressed disappointment with their performance in Mbombela and emphasized the need for improvement ahead of the semifinal. The Griquas and Cheetahs, if they manage to secure their spots in the final, will face off in Kimberley next weekend. Meanwhile, both the Lions and Pumas, who have been eliminated in the last two Currie Cup finals, will be keen to stage an upset and claim their place in the prestigious match. The fixtures for Sunday are as follows: Griquas vs Lions at Griqua Park in Kimberley, kick-off at 1pm; and Cheetahs vs Pumas at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, kick-off at 3:30pm.",
  "summary": "The defending champions Griquas will be eyeing a home final when they host the Lions in their semifinal clash on Sunday.",
  "key_points": [
    "Griquas and Cheetahs vie for Currie Cup final spot",
    "Lions and Pumas aim to upset opponents",
    "Griquas favorites at home, Cheetahs seek first final since 2023"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}