Cheetahs win Currie Cup cat-fight
Sat, 07 Aug 2010 17:10
Bad boys: The Cheetahs' loose forward stars, Kabamba Floors (l) and Ashley Johnson (r), on the run. (c) Gallo
The Free State Cheetahs held off a late challenge from the Pumas in the dying minutes to secure a comfortable 45-30 victory in Witbank on Saturday - closing the gap on the Top Four on the Currie Cup log to settle in fifth place with 14 points.
With just one win from five matches, against fellow bottom feeders the Leopards, the newly-promoted Pumas are already facing a relegation battle and will need to raise their game if they are to avoid a struggle for their place in the Premier Division next season.
With the Pumas leading 6-3 in the 17th minute, all from penalties, prop Coenie Oosthuizen placed the Cheetahs in the lead for the first time with the opening try of the game, and flyhalf Louis Strydom converted to give them a 10-6 advantage.
Eight minutes later, Pumas centre Shaun Venter dotted down for the hosts after an interception to put the Pumas on top again at 13-10, and flyhalf Ricardo Croy added two for the conversion.
Cheetahs captain Hendro Scholtz, however, placed the visitors back in the driving seat with their third try, and wing Jongi Nokwe stole clear down the left wing from his own half to secure the bonus point try in the dying minutes of the first half.
Strydom converted both, and with a penalty from Croy in the 36th minute the only reply from the Pumas, the Cheetahs led 24-16 at half-time.
The visitors wasted no time after the break, pushing forward from the re-start, with Strydom breaking through in the 43rd minute to score, and converting his own try to put the Cheetahs 31-16 ahead shortly before he was replaced by Sias Ebersohn.
Nine minutes later, Sias's twin brother, Robert, chipped the ball and chased from 30 metres out to dot it down, with former kicking the conversion to stretch the gap by another seven points.
Then, with the Cheetahs running the ball well and swinging it both ways, centre Meyer Bosman found a gap and crashed over in the 59th minute, with Sias Ebersohn converting, and suddenly the hosts were faced with a mountain to climb trailing by 45-16.
Completely dominating the second period, the Cheetahs were unlucky not to have added another couple of tries, but the home side fought back hard with the final whistle approaching.
Jacques Coetzee barged over for the Pumas in the 78th minute to score their first try of the half, with Croy adding the conversion. And Carl Bezuidenhout scored another try on the right-wing in injury-time, with Elgar Watts slotting the conversion to close the gap even further.
It was too little too late, however, and the visitors held on to clinch their third win of the competition - a crucial result, along with the four-try bonus point.
Man of the Match: Forty-three minutes is all flyhalf Louis Strydom needed to earn our nod here - scoring a good individual try to go with his four conversions and one penalty goal.
The scorers:
For the Pumas:
Tries: Bezuidenhout, Coetzee, Venter
Cons: Watts 3
Pens: Croy 3
For the Free State Cheetahs:
Tries: Oosthuizen, Scholtz, Strydom, Nokwe, Bosman, R Ebersohn
Cons: Strydom 4, S Ebersohn 2
Pen: Strydom
The teams:
Pumas: 15 Elgar Watts, 14 Ashwin Scott, 13 Tiaan Marx, 12 Siviwe Magaba, 11 Shaun Venter, 10 Ricardo Croy, 9 Jacques Coetzee, 8 Christo le Roux, 7 Alwyn Bester, 6 Corné Steenkamp (captain), 5 Marius Coetzer, 4 Andries Kruger, 3 Ashley Buys, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Dawie Steyn.
Replacements: 16 Hannes Franklin, 17 Dee-Jay Terblanche, 18 Willem Serfontein, 19 Jaco Bouwer, 20 Tian Meyer, 21 Carl Bezuidenhout, 22 Roelof Steyn.
Free State Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14
Philip Snyman, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Louis Strydom, 9 Tewis de Bruyn, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Francois Uys, 6 Hendro Scholtz (captain), 5 Barend Pieterse, 4 Izak van der Westhuizen, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 Skipper Badenhorst, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20 Tertius Carse, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 JW Jonker.
Referee: Mark Lawrence
Assistant referees: Mlungiseli Mdashe, Stefan Breytenbach
TMO: Willie Roos
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