The Pumas are a South African professional rugby union team that competes in the Premier Division of the Currie Cup. The team draws their players from Mpumalanga Province (formerly known as the South Eastern Transvaal) and plays at the Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela, having previously also played at the Puma Stadium in Witbank.
History Formed in 1969 as South Eastern Transvaal, the Pumas are one of the younger unions in the country. The team won the Currie Cup for the first time in 2022.
Pumas 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. Despite being newly-promoted, the team achieved a notable result on 27 August 2010, beating current champions the 22–21 at the Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela. They eventually finished 7th.
Super Rugby In 2020, the Pumas were invited to play in the Super Rugby Unlocked competition. A list of players who represented the side in the competition can be found here.
Honours
Major Honours Currie Cup Premier Division Champions (1) 2022 Runner-up: (2) 2023, 2026 Currie Cup First Division Champions: (3) 2005, 2009, 2013 Runner-up: (1) 2012 SA Cup: Champions: (2) 2025, 2026 Runner-up: (1) 2024 Vodacom Cup Champions: (1) 2015 Runner-up: (1) 2013 SuperSport Rugby Challenge Champions: (1) 2018 Runner-up: (1) 2019
Minor Honours Airlink Cup 2023 "PUMAS BEAT WELWITSCHIAS 81 - 8 IN AIRLINK CUP", https://nbcnews.na, 22 May 2024 Toyota Challenge: runner up 2024
Current squad
The Pumas squad for the 2026 season is:
Props
Hookers
Locks
Loose forwards
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks
References
External links Official website Pumas statistics on supersport.com