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Bulls edge Cheetahs in Loftus thriller

The game, played with rain bucketing down periodically during the match, saw the teams score two tries each at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.

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While it may not have been the try-feast that the Bulls produced in the first round against the men from Bloemfontein, it was an exciting encounter – despite the high error- and penalty-count in Pretoria.

It turned on a 10-point blitz by the Bulls in the final quarter, when they took the score from a one-point (11-10) lead to a commanding 21-10 lead.

Even though the Cheetahs rallied to give themselves a chance of a late winner, the Bulls' greater composure won the day.

The breakdown was a massive arm-wrestle, shaded by the Bulls, the line-outs also went to the home team and the scrums were mostly dominated by the Cheetahs.

Then there was the Bulls' defence, which only occasionally looked fragile. For the most part it was a rock-solid wall of blue jerseys keeping the runners in white at bay.

Bulls edge Cheetahs in Loftus thrillerThe Bulls were heavily penalised in the early stages of the game, with Fred Zeilinga having a shot at goal in the fifth minute – pushing a kickable penalty well wide.

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The Cheetahs continued to make most of the play, enjoying more than 60 percent of the possession, with Zeilinga getting a second shot at goal in the 15th minute – also pushing this one past the right upright.

Right at the end of the first quarter the Bulls showed devastating counter-attacking ability – a turnover deep in their half and some sublime handling allowed Burger Odendaal to go over for the first try of the match. Tian Schoeman's conversion attempt just drifted wide – 5-0.

The score seemed to resulted in a massive shift of momentum – the Bulls beginning to dominate the set pieces and the collisions, resulting in a penalty on the Cheetahs 22-metre line in the 27th minute, with Schoeman slotting the kick for a 8-0 lead.

It went from bad to worse for the Cheetahs just past the half-hour mark – prop Luan de Bruin being sent to the sin bin for a professional foul, a late shoulder charge on scrumhalf Francois Hougaard. Schoeman kicked the penalty for a 11-0 lead.

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This seemed to spark the Cheetahs, with a blistering break by Shaun Venter from a ruck just outside the Bulls 22-metre area resulting in Rayno Benjamin going over for a well-worked try. Zeilinga finally landed a kick – making it 7-11, which is how the score stayed till half-time.

Early in the second half Zeilinga made it a one-point (10-11) game, after the Bulls found themselves on the wrong side of the referee's rulings.

On the 50-minute mark the Cheetahs were penalised for illegal scrumming just inside their half, but Schoeman was just wide and short.

Within minutes the Cheetahs sent on a host of replacements, including two front row players, and immediately won a scrum penalty. However, Zeilinga was wide again.

The game then became an arm-wrestle, as the hits became more brutal with every passing minute.

Going into the final 15 minutes the Cheetahs were penalised for offside play just outside their 22 and replacement Louis Fouche made it 14-10, but missed with a kickable penalty just minutes later.

However, with just under 10 minutes left on the clock the Bulls produced the moment of magic that so often turns and wins games – electrifying interplay sending Dries Swanepoel over for a try. Fouche added the conversion and at 21-10 the Bulls had some breathing space.

Again the Cheetahs game back with a vengeance – a couple of powerful scrums earning then two penalties in quick succession five metres from the Bulls' line. The second penalty saw replacement Sias Ebersohn take a quick tap and force his way over.

Clayton Blommetjies added the conversion, a quickly-taken drop-goal, to make it 17-21 with three minutes left.

However, a knock-on from the restart saw the Cheetahs pinned inside their 22 and then the Bulls winning a penalty, which Fouché slotted to make it a 7-point game – the Bulls holding on to the end, despite a late Cheetahs rally, for a 24-17 win.

Man of the match:  Clayton Blommetjies again showed he is a special talent, Fred Zeilinga showed what a loss he was when the Sharks let him go, Shaun Venter was another who tested the Bulls' defence, Francois Uys put his body on the line, while the Cheetahs front row of Luan de Bruin, Elandre Huggett and Burrie Uys made life unpleasant for the Bulls. Warrick Gelant, Travis Ismaiel and Jamba Ulengo were impressive with ball in hand, Dries Swanepoel and Burger Odendaal continued their growth as a midfield combination, Francois Hougaard again showed that he will not let the Springboks down at the World Cup, Arno Botha again showed what a special talent he is, while Pieter Labuschagne, Marvin Orie and Jacques du Plessis produced massive work-rates. However, our award goes to Blue Bulls flank Roelof Smit, who was a real menace at the breakdown and made some crucial turnovers in a game of very small margins.

Scorers:

For the Blues Bulls:

Tries: Odendaal, Swanepoel

Con: Fouche

Pens: Schoeman 2, Fouche 2

For the Free State Cheetahs:

Tries: Benjamin, Ebersohn

Cons: Zeilinga, Blommetjies

Pen: Zeilinga

Yellow card: Luan de Bruin (Free State Cheetahs, 34 – professional foul, late tackle)

Teams:

Blue Bulls: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Dries Swanepoel, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Roelof Smit, 6 Pieter Labuschagne (captain), 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Jacques du Plessis, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Pierre Schoeman.

Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 18 Rudolph Snyman, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Ivan van Zyl, 21 Louis Fouche, 22 Jan Serfontein.

Free State Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Rayno Benjamin, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Niell Jordaan, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Gerhard Olivier, 5 Francois Uys (captain), 4 Armandt Koster, 3 Luan de Bruin, 2 Elandre Huggett, 1 Burrie Uys.

Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Reniel Hugo, 19 Teboho Mohoje, 20 Freddy Ngoza, 21, Ruan van Rensburg, 22 Sias Ebersohn.

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge

Assistant referees: Francois Pretorius, Vusi Msibi

TMO: Willie Vos

Bulls edge Cheetahs in Loftus thriller

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