The Airlink Pumas have kicked off their year with a promising 14-point triumph over the Emirates Lions in a preseason warm-up on February 1.

The Pumas compiled a 29-man travelling squad for the encounter, opting to take as many players as possible in order to afford themselves the chance to try out various combinations and options against the Lions.

With the start of the SA Cup having been moved forward by a month to March 7, the Pumas are in the middle of the tinkering and experimenting stage as they seek to find what will work best for them going forward.

While a preseason match might seem friendly to some, teams always battle it out and leave it all out on the pitch as fringe players look to impress and to secure their spots in the main side for the upcoming season. There was also an element of revenge for the Pumas, as they lost to the Lions in the preseason match between the two sides last year.

Seven of the Pumas’ eight new arrivals for 2025 were part of the squad travelling to Modimolle, marking the first time they have donned the Pumas shirt in action. Kicking off at 15:00 at Hoërskool Nylstroom, the Pumas enjoyed a fruitful first half in which they crossed the whitewash twice, while the Lions only managed to score one try. This handed the Lowveld outfit a 14-7 lead at the break.

The second half was an exact replica of the first as the Pumas again scored twice and the Lions only once. The Pumas, therefore, emerged 28-14 victors, taking revenge for their preseason defeat last year. Airlink Pumas head coach Jimmy Stonehouse was pleased with his charges’ performance on the day.

“We wanted to test out some combinations, so we played two teams, one in the first half and one in the second, but the positives we got out of this were the set pieces and our good defence,” Stonehouse said in his weekend wrap with the Pumas.

“The maul attack was brilliant, as was the scrum attack, and then obviously the tries we scored were good. There were some individual tries that I thought were really good.”

The Airlink Pumas are resting this week, but will take on the Valke next week on February 14. No love will be lost, though, as the Pumas continue tinkering. “It’s another chance for us to test out our combinations; get two teams out there and see what we can get out of that before our last game before the SA Cup starts.”