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At the Free State Stadium in Mangaung
- Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie said the special Currie Cup final win against the Pumas is a realisation of a long-held childhood dream.
- The 25-17 win at the Free State Stadium on Saturday was Fourie's first Currie Cup success as coach after being part of the 2007 winning coaching staff.
- Fourie credited his team for keeping their nerve in a game they could have easily lost.
Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie said his team's 25-17 Currie Cup final win against the Pumas was a realisation of a long-held dream he had to win the tournament.
Fourie was part of the Cheetahs' coaching staff when they beat the Lions 20-18 in the 2007 final, and has done the coaching rounds before coming back to complete his trophy run.
Fourie admitted to being a slight bad luck charm in that the Cheetahs haven't always been during the greatest shape in his time with the union.
MATCH REPORT | Seventh title heaven for Cheetahs as gutsy effort earns them Currie Cup success against Pumas
However, it was outweighed by the success of the trophy the Cheetahs had to work hard for.
The win was the Cheetahs' seventh title, but their first one since 2019.
"It is special and it’s something that I've dreamt about since I was a kid," Fourie said.
"The first game of rugby I watched on TV as a kid was the 1976 final between Free State and Western Province.
"Since then, I became a Free State supporter, so to be in this position to win the trophy as the coach of a team I've been supporting as a kid is special."
What mattered most for Fourie was that his team ensured they remained calm in the closing stages of the game despite the Cheetahs having an eight-point gap that was too much for the Pumas to reel in.
AS IT HAPPENED | Cheetahs v Pumas
Last year, the Pumas came to Mangaung and shocked the Cheetahs into submission with a late 38-35 win, from where they went on to win the final against the Griquas the following week.
The Cheetahs also had experienced players on the bench like Robert Ebersohn, who played a massive role in closing off the game.
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"We were lucky to have good leaders on the field and they made good decisions, they were calm and that was important for us," Fourie said.
"Last year, we made some mistakes in the semi-final in the last 10-12 minutes and we ended up losing the game.
"This year, we kept our nerves this year and we executed what we wanted to do very well in the last 10 minutes."
