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Cheetahs end Hurricanes' run

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:58

Winning captain: Cheetahs and Bok flank Juan Smith

The Cheetahs did fellow South Africans the Bulls an enormous favour, as well as bolstering their own campaign, when they smashed the Hurricanes 28-12 in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Not only did it end the hitherto high-flying Hurricanes' unbeaten run this year, but it left the Bulls firmly entrenched at the top of the table on a weekend when they had a bye.

The Bulls are now the only unbeaten team after four rounds.

The win saw the Cheetahs move into mid-table and far better placed in the play-off race. It was a fine comeback win following their disappointing performance against the Highlanders last week.

What a difference a week can make.

"One week we're the most shocking team and the next week we can beat anyone," said Cheetahs' captain Juan Smith immediately after the final whistle - and that summed up succinctly the difference in their performances from last week to this week.

Smith commented too that it was all about attitude and it is certainly to the credit of the Cheetahs that after a week of heavy criticism for their inadequate performance against the Highlanders, they bounced back with such a commendable display of positive attitude and fierce determination.

The Cheetahs offered an energy and commitment which had been conspicuous in its absence last weekend. They weren't always able to string together phases and to attain the continuity that makes them such a dangerous attacking team, but they certainly built more phases and there was much improved continuity.

The urgency on attack and commitment on defence was admirable, and the physical nature of their approach all round was way ahead of what they had produced previously this year.

There was abundant evidence too of a clear game plan coming to fruition and the consistent pressure they exerted on the Hurricanes spoke volumes for their preparation and fierce determination to play flat out - for the first time this season - for 80 minutes. Their success in drawing defenders into tackling in midfield before spreading the ball from there played havoc with the Hurricanes' defence and they were unlucky not to score more tries.

It helps as well, obviously, to have goal-kickers bisecting the uprights, as Naas Olivier did with the kicks closer to the posts and Meyer Bosman did from longer range. Their exhibition of goal-kicking from all angles and distances was masterly.

Hurricanes' captain Andrew Hore was gracious in defeat, acknowledging that the Cheetahs had played good rugby and deserved to win.

The Hurricanes looked anything but a team going into the match unbeaten. Their discipline was just not good enough and though in the end they scored two tries to the Cheetahs' one, they were a well beaten team, finding themselves playing catch-up on the scoreboard because of the number of kickable penalties they conceded.

They played with less intensity than one expects from a New Zealand team. They struggled to build phases and achieve continuity on attack and were made to scamper in defence as the home team threw everything in their arsenal at them. The Hurricanes goal-kicking was disappointing and they also failed to carry the ball as they usually do. Their ball-carrying is a characteristic Hurricanes strength but was not much in evidence in this game.

They missed Tamati Ellison and Conrad Smith (both injured) and they could lose Ma'a Nonu if his tip tackle leads to a citing. They have a lot of work - and thinking - to do leading up to their game against the Stormers at Newlands next week and the Bulls at altitude in Pretoria the week after.

Bosman opened the scoring for the Cheetahs in the eighth minute with a mammoth 52 metre kick which cleared the uprights with plenty to spare after Hurricanes loosehead prop John Schwalger was penalised at a scrum.

But the Hurricanes hit back two minutes later with the first try of the game when from an attacking line-out No.8 Rodney So'oialo committed tacklers in midfield and from there they moved the ball wide, drawing defenders with neatly timed passes, and left wing David Smith did well to cut inside and crash over a few metres in from touch. Piri Weepu's conversion flew just wide of the right upright but the visitors led 5-3.

In the 16th minute Olivier put the home team 6-5 ahead with a close-range penalty and then Bosman increased the lead to 9-5 with a long-range penalty in the 23rd minute.

Bosman continued his superb long distance kicking display with another huge penalty goal in the 30th minute and the Cheetahs led 12-5.

Hurricanes inside centre Nonu was yellow-carded a minute later for a tip tackle on Cheetahs captain Juan Smith - "at least a yellow" was the advice of assistant referee Jonathan Kaplan to referee Bryce Lawrence. The citing officer may want another look at the tackle and a disciplinary hearing and suspension for Nonu must be a possibility at least.

The Cheetahs were not able to take advantage of the extra player and the half ended at 12-5, with the Hurricanes having enjoyed an advantage in territory and possession and scoring the only try, but the Cheetahs goal-kickers had taken advantage of the visitors' disciplinary indiscretions to kick penalty goals.

Kabamba Floors came on as a sub for Frans Viljoen in the 46th minute and three minutes later celebrated his return to the Super 14 with a try in the corner when the Cheetahs attacked strongly and he followed up a well-judged chip inside the 22 by left wing Jongi Nokwe. Olivier slotted the conversion from the touchline and the home team led 19-5 with half an hour to play.

Bosman stretched the lead to 22-5 two minutes later with another prodigious penalty goal and in the 60th minute Olivier took it to 25-5 with an angled penalty.

Jeremy Thrush had come on as a sub at lock for Michael Paterson in the 51st minute and just over quarter of an hour later was sin-binned after repeated Hurricanes' infringements near their goal-line.

But it was the 14-man visitors who scored points when fullback Cory Jane ran superbly and scored close to touch, though tackled by three defenders in Robert Ebersohn, Hennie Daniller and Lionel Mapoe. Willie Ripia, who had just come on as a sub at flyhalf, goaled the conversion from the touchline. With 10 minutes to go, the lead had been reduced to 25-12.

The Hurricanes threatened to launch a late comeback but with four minutes to play, Olivier took the lead to 28-12 with his third penalty goal and that was that.

The Cheetahs had achieved a famous victory and the Hurricanes - playing well below their best - had lost their unbeaten record

Man of the Match: WP Nel must be a candidate for his powerful scrummaging. Juan Smith was again, as so consistently for the Cheetahs and the Springboks, a class act as flank - and his leadership was a major factor in the victory too. Heinrich Brüssow was potent at breakdown and on defence and Adriaan Strauss took some stopping as a ball-carrier. Naas Olivier's goal-kicking was deadly accurate but the Man of the Match must be Meyer Bosman because his prodigious boot secured points which few kickers in the world would have achieved. Olivier's four out of four was impressive, but Bosman's four out of four from far out a phenomenal feat.

Scorers:

For the Cheetahs:
Try: Floors
Con: Olivier
Pens: Bosman 4, Olivier 3

For the Hurricanes:
Tries: Smith, Jane
Con: Ripia

Yellow cards: Ma'a Nonu (Hurricanes, 31 - foul play, tip tackle), Jeremy Thrush (Hurricanes, 67 - repeated infringements at the breakdown)

Teams:

Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Lionel Mapoe, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Naas Olivier, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Frans Viljoen, 7 Juan Smith (captain), 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Waltie Vermeulen, 4 Nico Breedt, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 David de Villiers, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Riaan Viljoen, 22 Danwel Demas

Hurricanes: 15 Cory Jane, 14 Andre Taylor, 13 Alapati Leiua, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 David Smith, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Victor Vito, 5 Michael Paterson, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore (captain), 1 John Schwalger.
Replacements: 16 Dane Coles, 17 Anthony Perenise, 18 Jeremy Thrush, 19 Scott Waldrom, 20 Tyson Keats, 21 Willie Ripia, 22 Brett Mather.

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa), Joey Salmans (South Africa)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)

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