Cheetahs record bonus-point victory in rain

MATCH REPORT: The Cheetahs secured a vital 26-19 win over Western Province in Round Six of the Currie Cup in Cape Town on Saturday.

The men from Bloemfontein handled the rain and wet conditions better than the home side and claimed a bonus-point victory after a fightback from 0-13 down.

Western Province had to make last-minute changes to their run-on team when both Imad Khan and Asad Moos failed late fitness tests due to minor leg injuries.

This meant Dewaldt Duvenage started at scrumhalf and Cameron Whitson was in line to make his debut off the bench.

The hosts got on the scoreboard first as Jurie Matthee landed a successful penalty despite the poor visibility due to the rain.

Already early on in the game, it was clear that the handling would be a huge issue with knock-ons aplenty.

Seven minutes later Matthee had a second aim at the poles, backing himself despite the rain and sending it through successfully for the home side to lead 6-0.

Sadly Justin Geduld’s return to 15’s ended in the first 12 minutes after he received a hard knock.

The Cheetahs especially struggled to adapt to the weather as they conceded four penalties in the first 20 minutes.

The first try came through the efforts of Angelo Davids after Matthee ran straight, caught the Cheetahs off guard and the wing finished it off in the corner.

Matthee certainly did not seem fazed by the poor conditions, knocking over two penalties and a conversion while his overall management of the game was impressive early on.

Eventually, after 35 minutes, the Cheetahs managed to get into the red zone, and captain Victor Sekekete mauled over for their first points of the game.

Ethan Wentzel converted and the home side was leading 13-7 with four minutes to go to half-time.

The Cheetahs managed a late try just before halftime by Carl Wegner and the sides looked up the changeroom with Western Province leading 16-12 at halftime.

The visitors continued where they left off and within the first minute of the second half, Daniel Kasende received the ball from Cohen Jasper to score in the corner for the Cheetahs to take the lead for the first time by 19-16.

The scrums were a mess and at times the referee had to use stern words, but the weather again made things very difficult for both sides.

Big tackles were the order of the day, especially by the Cheetahs as the wet ball changed hands in almost every movement.

A few monster scrums by the Cheetahs sent a clear message to the hosts that they were not going to relinquish their lead without a fight.

The rain subsided some halfway through the second half, but the ball still didn’t stick with most of the passes from both sides.

It resulted in a very scrappy affair and the Cheetahs’ demolition of the hosts’ scrums gave them the platform to play from.

Leading 19-16 with ten minutes to go, the Cheetahs used pick and go and Jeandre Rudolph got a vital bonus point try for his side after incredible work by the loose forwards.

Reinhardt Fortuin converted, thereby stretching the visitors’ lead to 26-16.

A late penalty Kyle Smith ensured the hosts came away with a losing bonus point. .

The Cheetahs won through their well-organised defence and they made it six out of six against Western Province.

Scorers:

For Western Province:
Tries: Davids
Cons: Matthee
Pens: Matthee 3, Smith

For Cheetahs:
Tries: Sekekete, Wegner, Kasende, Rudolph
Cons: Wentzel 2, Fortuin

Teams:

Western Province: 15 Luke Burger, 14 JC Mars, 13 Justin Geduld, 12 Damian Markus, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Imad Khan, 8 Willie Engelbrecht (captain), 7 Divan Fuller, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Hendre Stassen, 3 Corne Weilbach, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Mhleli Khuzwayo, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Andre Goedhals, 20 Sibusiso Sangweni, 21 Asad Moos, 22 Kyle Smith, 23 Joshua Boulle.

Cheetahs: 15 Cohen Jasper, 14 Michael Annies, 13 Evardi Boshoff, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Daniel Kasende, 10 Ethan Wentzel, 9 Rewan Kruger, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Aidon Davis, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Hencus van Wyk, 2 Corne Fourie, 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Dameron Dawson, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Mzwanele Zito, 20 Oupa Mohoje, 21 Neels Volschenl, 22 Marco Janse van Vuren, 23 Reinhardt Fortuin

Referee: Christopher Allison