| Home team | Lions |
| Away team | Pumas |
| Venue | Ellis Park |
| Competition | Currie Cup |
| Kick-off time | 2 pm (UK and Ireland) 3 pm (SA) |
| Watch Live in the UK | Sky Sports |
Lions vs Pumas Currie Cup preview as the sides meet at Ellis Park after disappointing defeats by the narrowest of margins for both teams in the opening round of the competition.
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Lions vs Pumas confirmed lineups
| Lions | Pumas | ||||
| Forwards | |||||
| Naude | 1 | Janeke | |||
| Sithole | 2 | van Zyl | |||
| C Van Vuuren | 3 | Banda | |||
| Sjoblom | 4 | Krugel | |||
| Delport | 5 | Scheepers | |||
| Biyela | 6 | Marais | |||
| Cairns | 7 | Engelbrecht | |||
| M Venter | 8 | Mashimbyi | |||
| Backs | |||||
| Cilliers | 9 | Bursey | |||
| Francis | 10 | Visagie | |||
| Maxwane | 11 | Blood | |||
| Jonker | 12 | Delport | |||
| Finca | 13 | Xamlashe | |||
| K Smith | 14 | Isaacs | |||
| Nela | 15 | Nel | |||
| Replacements | |||||
| Welman | 16 | Campher | |||
| Parsons | 17 | Dube | |||
| Swart | 18 | B Le Roux | |||
| Ferreira | 19 | Goedhals | |||
| R Du Plessis | 20 | Ndimande | |||
| Moos | 21 | Eden | |||
| M Coetzee | 22 | Fleurs | |||
| Tshiamala | 23 | Wellman | |||
Recent Form:
Lions (Home team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 19th July 2026 | Currie Cup | Cheetahs | 29-27 |
| Loss | 20th September 2025 | Currie Cup | Griquas | 25-27 |
| Won | 13th September 2025 | Currie Cup | Boland | 67-19 |
| Won | 6th September 2025 | Currie Cup | Griquas | 37-7 |
| Won | 30th August 2025 | Currie Cup | Bulls | 44-5 |
The Lions Currie Cup side have lost their last two matches, both of which have been sealed by less than five points. Their three wins before this were by 30 or more points. They conceded four tries against the Cheetahs and also gave away three kickable penalties which cost them. They led with just over five minutes to go, but conceded a penalty which was kicked.
Pumas (Away team):
| Result | Date | Competition | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 17th July 2026 | Currie Cup | Sharks XV | 24-26 |
| Won | 23rd May 2026 | SA Cup | Griquas | 35-38 (AET) |
| Won | 15th May 2026 | SA Cup | Cheetahs | 42-36 |
| Won | 8th May 2026 | SA Cup | Griffons | 61-12 |
| Won | 3rd May 2026 | SA Cup | Boland | 38-31 |
The Pumas started the Currie Cup campaign with a narrow defeat to the Sharks XV, having won the SA Cup in extra time in May. Against the Sharks, they went 26-5 behind shortly after half-time, but three tries were not enough to come back in the remainder of the game. They sat two points behind with 13 minutes to go, but the Sharks were able to hold out.
Lions vs Pumas head-to-head record (last five matches):
| Date | Competition | Winner | Score |
| 16th August 2025 | Currie Cup | Lions | 35-36 |
| 10th August 2024 | Currie Cup | Lions | 55-12 |
| 12th July 2024 | Currie Cup | Lions | 21-75 |
| 28th April 2023 | Currie Cup | Lions | 26-10 |
| 17th March 2023 | Currie Cup | Pumas | 34-27 |
The Lions have won the last four meetings between these sides, with last year’s meeting being won by a one-point margin. The previous meetings were won by more than 30 points. The Pumas last got a win against the Lions in March 2023.
