Cheetahs remain unbeaten

MATCH REPORT:  Cheetahs enhanced their status as Currie Cup contenders with a 28-17 win over Pumas in Nelspruit on Saturday.

At the back of a commanding win over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Round Three, the Cheetahs won the try-count 3-1 in a scrappy affair.

The win made sure the Bloemfontein side made it three from three and move to the top of the table at the expense of the Bulls, who have a bye this weekend.

*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!

Humidity ruled out an enterprising encounter, with the visitors in particular guilty of coughing up the ball on several occasions. That said, both coaches would be disappointed by their charges’ sub-standard performances.

The decorated duo of Frans Steyn and skipper Ruan Pienaar played pivotal roles in winning the kicking battle, Steyn carving out both of the Free Staters’ first-half tries and landing a late three-pointer, while Pienaar contributed 10 points off the tee.

Hawies Fourie’s men shot themselves in the foot with basic errors and indiscipline, conceding 11 penalties in the first half alone, which saw Eddie Fouché kick four penalty goals to cut the Cheetahs’ lead to 15-12 at half-time.

The Lowvelders had the ascendency in the set pieces but lacked strike power, eventually scoring through Eduan Swart. They were also unable to stop the Cheetahs’ driving maul, which earned the visitors two of their three tries.

Pumas took the fight to the visitors immediately, winning a maul turnover from the kick-off and a penalty from the ensuing scrum, with Fouché on the money to draw first blood.

Pienaar levelled the scores right away with a long-range penalty goal after Shane Kirkwood had been pinged for a no-arms tackle. The hosts backed their driving maul as they turned down two kickable penalties but came away empty-handed from their early visit to the attacking 22.

An exceptional penalty kick into touch by Steyn put the Cheetahs in prime position, where their dominant driving maul came into play and resulted in Gideon van der Merwe scoring the opening try in the 13th minute, which went unconverted.

Steyn’s boot produced another try five minutes later, a perfectly weighted grubber off the left foot staying in field. Miscommunication between Devon Williams and Jade Stighling allowed Rosko Specman to snap it up on the second take and pop the ball to Clayton Blommetjies for a simple walk-in. Pienaar this time added the conversion to put the Cheetahs up by 15-3.

The Pumas regrouped and replied with back-to-back Fouché penalty goals to reduce the deficit to six and when Blommetjies’ restart went out on the full, there was a sense that the momentum had shifted into the home team’s favour near the 30-minute mark.

However, Steyn pinned them back in their 22 where the Cheetahs set up camp for several minutes only for poor handling to derail their efforts. The Pumas flexed their muscles in the set pieces, first in the scrum and then in the lineout, to secure another shot at goal and Fouché nailed the long-range effort.

That meant the sides went into the sheds with the Cheetahs holding a slender three-point lead, however, it was the Pumas who had their tails up after having dominated the final 10 minutes of the opening stanza.

The Free Staters came out with renewed hunger and reclaimed control with another well-worked maul try, this time Louis van der Westhuizen flopping over. Pienaar was successful with his conversion attempt to take the lead out to 10 after 46 minutes.

However, the Cheetahs’ disciplinary problems persisted and after a barnstorming run from captain Willie Engelbrecht inspired his troops, the Pumas finally breached the line and scored a maul try of their own through Swart. Fouché’s first miss of the afternoon made it 22-17.

A really scrappy period ended with Pienaar restoring a two-score buffer with a second penalty goal in the 62nd minute, which brought the clock into prominence for the first time.

Jimmy Stonehouse’s charges pressed and threatened to score only for their fire to be extinguished for the time being by a vital breakdown penalty from Marnus van der Merwe inside his 22 with nine minutes remaining.

The Cheetahs had a few opportunities to secure the four-try bonus point but ultimately settled for the win with Steyn adding a vintage long-range three-pointer.

Man of the match: Willie Engelbrecht and Eddie Fouche were the two standout performers for the Pumas. Gideon van der Merwe and Aidon Davis deserve a mention for their efforts in the Cheetahs set-up. However, our nod goes to Cheetahs scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar who dictated the match very well and put his opponents under loads of pressure.

The scorers:

For Pumas:
Try: Swart
Pens: Fouche 4

For Cheetahs:
Tries: Van der Merwe, Blommetjies, van der Westhuizen
Cons: Pienaar 2
Pens: Pienaar 2, Steyn

Teams: 

Pumas:15 Devon Williams, 14 Sihle Njezula, 13 Alwayno Visagie, 12 Aliqhayiya Mgijima, 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Eddie Fouche, 9 Lucky Dlepu, 8 Willie Engelbrecht (captain), 7 Phumzile Maqondwana, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Shane Kirkwood, 4 Malembe Mpofu, 3 Simon Raw, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Ruan Kramer.
Replacements:16 Llewellyn Classen, 17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Prinsloo, 19 Brandon Valentyn, 20 Kwanda Dimaza, 21 Anele Lungisa, 22 Tinus de Beer, 23 Sebastian de Klerk.

Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 David Brits, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Ruan Pienaar (Captain), 8 Mihlali Mosi, 7 Andisa Ntsila, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Victor Sekekete, 4 Aidon Davis, 3 Marne Coetzee, 2 Louis van der Westhuizen, 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Sergio Moreira, 20 Jeandre Rudolph, 21 Rewan Kruger, 22 Reinhardt Fortuin, 23 Cohen Jasper.

Referee: Morne Ferreira
Assistant Referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, Local
TMO: Egon Seconds

Source: SA Rugby