Despite suffering a 27-26 defeat at the hands of the Sharks, the Steval Pumas remain in position six on the Absa Currie Cup table.

Had the home team won their clash against the Sharks last Saturday, they would have climbed a step up the Currie Cup ladder to finish the weekend in fifth position.

In position five are the Free State Province outfits, the Free State Cheetahs with 11 points, with the Pumas trailing from the sixth spot with nine points.

Even though it’s still early days with all teams having played five games each, the Xerox Golden Lions and the Blue Bulls are showing early signs of finishing on top of the table.

The Golden Lions returned to the top of the table after beating the EP Kings by 37-21.

The Lions are sitting on top with 25 points followed by the Blue Bulls in the second with 24 points.

On the bottom of the log are the Griquas who are yet to register a win.

The Eastern Province Kings are in position seven with three points.

If early showings are anything to go by, the Pumas are still well on track and could easily see themselves in position three within the next three games.

They stand a better chance of improving their standing on the table as they travel to Kimberley where they have a date with the struggling Griquas on Saturday.

The Free State Cheetahs will be in action as well on Friday against the Eastern Province Kings.

The Pumas coach, MJ Mentz told our sister paper, Lowvelder that he was not satisfied with his team’s performance against the Sharks and pointed out that they would be working on their set pieces.

“Unforced errors again and not making the right decisions at the right time. We could not close the game down.

We had our opportunities but did not take them. We will be working hard on set pieces this week and must sort out giving away penalties at critical moments,” he said.