The visitors opened the scoring with a penalty, then the Cavaliers had Kwanda Dimaza sent off after a high tackle. Boland weathered the storm with 14 men and eventually scored the first try of the game in the 27th minute. Winger Xavier Mitchell collected a well executed cross kick dot down
After a world-class box kick from Pumas scrumhalf Thomas Bursey, the ball was left to bounce and bounce and he collected the ball to score in the corner. Flyhalf Nevaldo Fleurs added the extras and the Pumas found themselves 10-5 up.
Then Cavaliers' flyhalf James Tedder was sent to the sin bin for a dangerous high tackle late in the opening stanza. This time, the Pumas made them pay.
Coming back from the break, Fleurs broke through the defensive line, scored under the poles and converted to take a commanding 17-5 lead.
Finally, a lineout stuck for Boland and after a powerful rolling maul, Dayan van der Westhuizen got up with the ball in the 50th minute.
The Cavaliers had multiple opportunities in the Pumas 22m, but were missing the finishing touches.
Now at the other end of the park, eventual man of the match Fleurs chipped over three points following an offside infringement, taking the lead out to eight points.
As the clock wound down, the Cavaliers turned down multiple shots at goal to kick for the corner and rely on a shaky lineout, to no avail. Finally, with three minutes to go, they knocked over three points to get within one score.
Sure enough, with almost the last play of the game, the Cavaliers failed to secure the ball at lioneout time to hand a much-needed win to the Pumas.