Supreme Blues thrash Cheetahs
Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:06
The Blues picked up where they left off last week to thump the Cheetahs 50-26 in their Super 14 clash in Bloemfontein.
The men from Auckland ran in seven sparkling tries to consign the Cheetahs to a record of three losses from three games.
The Blues won again in splendid style, which is just reward for their ability, organisation and focus. They are wonderful. The Cheetahs lost again. It is their third defeat and by far the biggest and yet, ironically, they played better than they had played in the other two matches. That, too, is testimony to the class of the Blues. But pity the Cheetahs - they deserved better and in fact were at one stage closer.
Things did not look good for the Bloemfonteiners when they kicked the first two kicks to Isa Nacewa and then had their third kick charged down Keven Mealamu. All of these could have been demoralising for the Cheetahs.
First Nick Evans missed a penalty attempt that he would normally have got. Then Isaia Toeava knocked on with an open line, which one would not expect of him. But the third, when Falie Oelschig's kick was charged down, brought points' reward. After getting the ball of David de Villiers Toeava cut inside Eddie Fredericks to score a seemingly effortless try, which Evans converted. 7-0 after 11 minutes.
The Cheetahs learnt. From now until near the end they kicked seldom, giving the Blues just seven line-out throws to their own 20. Far from being demoralised they attacked with a will. Juan Smith was close but it fell apart when Oelschig passed into touch. Back they came on the attack but they turned the ball over. Back they came again. They had a scrum on the right and put Fredericks to flank with Smith in midfield,. Smith charged. The Cheetahs won quick ball and flicked the ball from hand to hand until Jacques-Louis Potgieter gave Gavin Passens a perfect pass for a try in the corner. 7-5 after 22 minutes.
There was something Pyrrhic about the try for Smith damaged a knee and later limped off - not a happy sight.
Nacewa potted a kick down into touch 9on the left in the Cheetahs' 22. The Blues won the line-out and went right. The last pass was a poor one but Joe Rokocoko was the man who picked up the bouncing ball and, shrugging Potgieter off, he scored. Evans converted from touch. 14-65 after 26 minutes.
Straight from the kick-off the Blues scored again as they swept through Cheetahs' acres as if they were entirely empty and it was a game of unopposed rugby. Troy Flavell started it with a long run more or less on the right. The ball went loose on the left but Evans swooped on it, dashed ahead and passed inside to Rudi Wulff who scored an easy try. 21-5 after 28 minutes.
But the Cheetahs were not done. After Adriaan Strauss had got to within five metres of the Blues' line, only to concede a free kick,. they came back through nine phases till they played it wide and Meyer Bosman lobbed a pass in a half-gap to JW Jonker who ran round behind the posts for a try with the Blues appealing for a forward pass. Bosman converted. 21-12, which was the half0time score.
In no time the Blues got back onto the scoreboard, again from a scrum. The opportunities they were able to create form scrums in this match were remarkable.
They went right and Benson Stanley ran past Potgieter and away from Fredericks, sending Toeava over for his second. 28-12 and a bonus point after just 43 minutes.
For the third time the Cheetahs opted for a line-out instead of kicking at goal - third time lucky. They threw spiky Kabamba Floors, the littlest forward on the field, up into the Bloemfontein sky to win the line-out. They attacked but lost the ball to a Blues scrum. With dubious help from Floors on the flank the Cheetahs won the ball from the scrum and attacked till tough Heinrich Brüssow, the second littlest forward on the field but a strong one forced his way over and despite the attentions of Nick Williams, Stanley, Toeava and Wulff, grounded the ball for a try in the corner. Conrad Barnard converted. 28-19 after 47 minutes.
The Cheetahs were having a good passage of play and the Blues obviously thought them a threat, for when they got into Cheetah territory and Tewis de Bruyn tackled high Evans goaled. 31-19.
They got back into Cheetah territory and worked a clever switch at the front of a line-out that freed Mealamu to charge downfield. The Blues went into bash mode and then suddenly sent the ball wide to the right where Rokocoko cut back and swept over for a try. 38-19 after 63 minutes.
The Cheetahs mauled close to the Blues line but lost the ball. Back they came and again they scored from a Blues scrum. This time their pressure told, the scrum came apart and No.8 Duanne Vermeulen picked up. He gave to nuggety Brussow who chipped ahead. Little floors chased between Wulff and Evans with Nacewa arriving and with great determination grabbed the ball and scored. 38-26.
That was reasonably respectable for the Cheetahs but the Blues then went into overdrive and scored two tries in the last five minutes to take them to 50.
From a scrum they went right to Anthony Tuitavake who cut back strongly, beating five defenders, stepping off his right foot, swerving and accelerating to the line.
Again from a scrum the Blues went wide left. Stanley threw a long pass which right wing Wulff gathered on the bounce and gave to left wing Rokocoko who took much glee in dotting it down.
Man of the Match: Obviously the Blues as a team were much better than the willing Cheetahs and it was Danny Lee's 32nd birthday but the man who caught the eye was short, tough Heinrich Brüssow of the Cheetahs, our Man of the Match.
Moment of the Match: The try that Rudi Wulff scored from inception to birth as they swept downfield an all-conquering horde.
Villain of the Match: Nobody at all, though John Afoa's dangerous tackle came close.
The scorers:
For the Cheetahs:
Tries: Passens, Jonker, Brussow, Floors
Cons: Bosman, Barnard 2
For the Blues:
Tries: Toeava 2, Rokocoko 3, Wulf, Tuitavake
Cons: Evans 6
Pens: Evans
Teams:
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Eddie Fredericks, 13 JW Jonker, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Gavin Passens, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Falie Oelschig, 8 Duanne Vermeulen, 7 Juan Smith (captain), 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 David de Villiers, 4 Rory Duncan, 3 Kobus Calldo, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Conrad Barnard,
22 Hendrik Meyer.
Blues: 15 Isa Nacewa, 14 Rudi Wulf, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Lee, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Justin Collins, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Troy Flavell (captain), 4 Kurtis Haiu, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Tom McCartney, 17 Bronson Murray, 18 Anthony Boric, 19 Onosa'i Tololima-Auva'a, 20 Taniela Moa, 21 Ben Atiga, 22 Anthony Tuitavake.
Referee: Brett Bowden (Australia)
Touch judges: Matt Goddard (Australia), Christie du Preez (South Africa)
Television match official: Michael Cupido (South Africa)
Assessor: Banks Yantolo (South Africa)
