Seventy-nine minutes and 54 seconds of rugby had been played when replacement hooker, Francois du Toit, scored the try against the Leopards that won the Steval Pumas the match.

The Leopards had been the better team for much of the Absa Currie Cup qualifying round match at Mbombela Stadium on Friday night. But the Pumas dug deep and Du Toit went over from a maul after numerous penalties had been awarded to the Pumas on the Leopards’  try line.

The Leopards will play in the first division of the Currie Cup later this season. This did not stop them playing spirited rugby. They were motivated and the home side seemed to lack the firepower to match them.

Marlou van Niekerk booted the kick-off into touch. The Leopards won the resulting scrum and played much of the first half in Pumas territory.

An early line-out steal by Wiehan Hay and a solid defence was about all the Pumas could boast about in the first half. The Leopards ran at the Pumas and the Mpumalanga lads simply could not secure enough possession to dominate.

Fly half Schalk Hugo gave the Leopards a 3-0 lead in the sixth minute.

Despite the visitors’ domination of possession and territory, Pumas captain De-Jay Terblanche scored the first try. Right wing Tyler Fisher caught a failed touch finder, broke and passed to Van Niekerk who got a fingertip pass away to Terblanche. Van Niekerk converted and the Pumas led 7-3.

The Leopards hit back and flanker Loftus Morrison scored after turnover ball had been taken towards the goal line through numerous phases. It was solid, well-constructed attacking rugby and with Hugo’s conversion the visitors regained the lead.

Pumas eighth man Carel Greeff took the score to 12-10 after the back line broke the Leopards defence and he claimed the spoils.

At the break the Pumas held a two-point lead.

The second half was scrappier than the first. The Pumas defence let them down and the Leopards continued to run everything at their opponents. The experienced Pumas bench came on to secure  more possession. The Pumas tackling was not on standard. The Leopards pushed the limit of the law and it eventually cost them the match.

The ding-dong battle continued. Left wing Jaco Hayward scored from in the left corner after a tap penalty and ball was passed from scrum half to wing. Minutes later Tyler Fisher scored after Deon Helberg launched an up-and-under. The Pumas regained possession and the final pass went to the big winger.

Hayward claimed his second try thanks to shoddy defence from the Pumas. He chased a grubber and dotted down in the left corner. The conversion went wide and the Leopards held a three-point lead.

Greef scored his brace from a five-metre scrum which the boys from Potch could not match. Justin van Staden had just come onto the field and secured the extra two points.

Just when it seemed the Leopards might be running out of steam, Morrison scored again. Poor tackling by the Nelspruit boys gifted him the try. The Leopards led 27-24.

The Pumas could have opted for a draw with a kickable 75^th minute penalty. Hugo Kloppers who had taken over the captaincy from Terblanche who had come off the field, opted for touch.

The Leopards conceded a string of penalties from the ensuing attacks. They were lucky not be shown more than one yellow card.

The Pumas opted to scrum and failed to score. With seconds remaining a penalty kick went into touch. The line out was won and Du Toit went over from the maul. Van Staden pushed the conversion right, but it did not matter.

The Steval Pumas had won 29-27.

Tyler Fisher was electric in the 50-odd minutes he was on the field. Deon Helberg was always hungry for work and the youngster Devon William (full back) impressed. Veteran debutant, Rassie van Vuuren could very well find himself a permanent fixture in the starting XV.

The log points were not too important for the Steval Pumas. A team-binding win was what they wanted and what they got.

The rugby they played tonight will get them nowhere when the Currie Cup Premier Division kicks-off.