Pumas (rugby team)
 | |||
| Full name | Pumas | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Mpumalanga Rugby Union | ||
| Emblem(s) | Puma | ||
| Founded | 1969 | ||
| Region | Mpumalanga Province | ||
| Ground(s) | Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit (Capacity: 40,929) | ||
| Director of Rugby | Jimmy Stonehouse | ||
| Coach(es) | Jimmy Stonehouse | ||
| Captain(s) | Hennie Skorbinski | ||
| League(s) | Currie Cup | ||
| 2018 | 5th | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www.pumas.co.za | |||
 Current season | |||
The Pumas (currently known as the ISG Pumas for sponsorship reasons) are a South African rugby union team that competes in the Premier Division of the Currie Cup and the Northern Section of the Vodacom Cup. The team draws their players from Mpumalanga Province (formerly known as the South Eastern Transvaal) and plays at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, having previously also played at the Puma Stadium in Witbank.
The Pumas are a well supported team throughout Mpumalanga Province, with large fan bases located in Witbank, Middelburg, Ermelo and Nelspruit. The Pumas average crowds of 13,000 at home Currie Cup matches.
Contents
1 History
2 Honours
3 Current squad
4 References
5 External links
History
Formed in 1969 as South Eastern Transvaal, the Pumas are one of the younger unions in the country. The team has never won the Currie Cup.
In 2006, they were coached jointly by Chris Grobler and Danie Gerber, but failed to win any of their 14 matches, finishing last on the log.
They won the Currie Cup First Division (the second tier competition) in 2005 and 2009, both times earning promotion to the Currie Cup Premier Division.
For their 2010 Currie Cup campaign, the Pumas appointed the seasoned Jimmy Stonehouse as coach. Though considered the underdogs of the Currie Cup competition, on 27 August 2010 the Pumas beat current champions the Blue Bulls 22–21 at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.[1] They eventually finished 7th.
Honours
The team's major tournament wins include the Currie Cup First Division in 2005, 2009 and 2013, the Vodacom Cup in 2015 and the Rugby Challenge in 2018.
Current squad
The following players are contracted to the Pumas for 2019:[2]
| Pumas squad | ||
|---|---|---|
Props
Hookers
Locks
| Flanks
Eighth men
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
| Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks
|
| (c) Denotes team captain and Bold denotes internationally capped. |
References
^ "Pumas shock Blue Bulls in Nelspruit". Planet Rugby. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2013..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Skorbinski bids Pumas farewell". Lowvelder. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
External links
- Official Website
- Pumas statistics on supersport.com
