It was time for supporters to celebrate after the Cheetahs won the Currie Cup trophy in their clash against the Pumas in the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Five minutes before the end of the match, supporters switched on their cell phone lights and the atmosphere of victory was unmistakable in the stadium filled with supporters wearing white and orange.
The Cheetahs ended the season at the top of the log and came prepared to the 33rd Currie Cup final.
It was the seventh time in the 132 years’ of the tournament’s existence that the Free State managed to win the Currie Cup.
This time around, the Cheetahs won with a score of 25 – 17, giving their supporters reason to celebrate ecstatically.
There was a lot of pressure on the Cheetahs to beat the Pumas after the devastating defeat they had suffered in the semifinal on 18 June last year, when the Pumas won by 38 – 35. To add insult to injury, the Pumas went on to win the Currie Cup trophy for the first time in 2022.
The team from the Free State has won 21 of its 33 Currie Cup matches againts the Pumas, while the Pumas won 11. One match was a draw.
The very first Currie Cup match between the two teams was on 11 October 1996 in Bloemfontein – the Free State team won this clash by 21 – 3.
History repeated itself with the Cheetahs being ahead of the game in the final on Saturday.
