Demons banished for Cheetahs
They may not be able to make the play-offs this season, but the Cheetahs' victory over the Brumbies was significant for another reason.
Two tries early in the second half put the Cheetahs in the driver's seat at the Free State Stadium on Saturday and they were able to hold off a late rally from the Brumbies to seal a 27-21 victory in the end.
The Bloemfontein side were knocked out by the Brumbies last year after making the play-offs for the first time, and captain Adriaan Strauss admitted that there had been some anxious moments as history looked to repeat itself.
"It is a good victory for us. In the last moments we had flashbacks of what happened in our game in 2013, losing against the Brumbies after a mistake in the scrum," Strauss said.
The Cheetahs skipper said that the difference had been their composure under pressure at the end, with a huge drop-goal from flyhalf Johan Goosen securing the victory at the death.
"Luckily we kept our cool and managed to pull this one through. We played for one another, but in the end it was our ability to look after the ball and to keep it tight when it mattered that gave the result.
"Our kicking game was also spot on. That is what you need to close down games like these and luckily we managed to do so," he said.
The victory saw the Cheetahs move off the bottom of the log, ahead of the Stormers and the Lions in the South African conference.
Strauss said that although their play-off hopes have gone, they wanted to repay their fans by downing the Australian conference leaders.
"We can't make the playoffs any more, but we still play for pride and for our supporters and sponsors," Strauss said.
"This victory was for them. I am proud of the way we came back, specially after losing against the Western Force last week in Bloemfontein."
Brumbies captain Ben Mowen afterwards admitted that his side was beaten by a better Cheetahs side on the day.
"We were beaten by a very good Cheetahs side. I don't think their place on the log is a fair reflection of their ability on the field," Mowen said.
"We did not get the start we were looking for mainly because the Cheetahs came out and disrupted our structures. They took advantage of the early penalties we gave away.
"Once you lose that early momentum, it is difficult to get it back. That was our main problem."
The Canberra based side have yet another tough South African nut to crack when they face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria next weekend.
SAPA
