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Cheetahs cement top spot in Currie Cup

Saturday 21st July 2007

Bok centre Marius Joubert set up the Cheetahs' first try

The Free State Cheetahs cemented their position at the top of the Currie Cup table with a hard-fought 27-11 victory over fierce rivals the Lions on Saturday at Ellis Park.

This game always promised to have plenty of niggle and on several occasions tempers boiled over. Yet it was the rugby that prevailed in an enthralling game played at a great pace and with both sides showing plenty of attacking intent.

There was more than a fair share of personal battles and none more so than between Heinke van der Merwe and Jannie du Plessis at the scrum. It was the impressive young Lions prop van der Merwe who prevailed and on more than one occasion he made a total mess of the Cheetahs set piece.

It was the Cheetahs however who went into this game top of the table and they had a dream start when after three minutes Meyer Bosman crashed in under the posts after a clever chip and gather from his centre partner Marius Joubert had set him free. De Waal added the extras as the Cheetahs looked the better side in the early exchanges.

However the Lions eased their way into the game gradually and should have scored with their first meaningful raid into Cheetahs territory. Jano Vermaak made a telling break from the tail of a line out and had ample support. Cobus Grobbelaar carried the move on before off-loading to Anton van Zyl. It seemed as if the big second row was in but a last ditch tackle from the impressive Falie Oelschig. Van Zyl stretched for the line but was adjudged to have committed a double movement.

As the game developed so did the performance of Oelschig who extended the Cheetahs lead with a freak drop goal. With a penalty advantage on the Lions 10m line Oelschig decide to go for a snap drop goal at the base of the ruck. As all thirty players stood and watched the kick wobbled its way over to give the Cheetahs a ten point cushion after just fifteen minutes.

The Lions started to dominate possession but they came up with telling mistakes at key times which cost them dear on one occasion after Doppies la Grange broke through only to waste a simple two-on-one by passing to nobody when had he looked left Jaco Pretorius was steaming up in support.

They continued to toil away and were eventually rewarded with a opportune break away try from South African sevens flyer Ryno Benjamin. Benjamin scooped up the lose ball on his own 22m line after an enterprising attack from the Cheetahs broke down.

With nobody in between himself and the try line he set off but fellow sevens star Philip Burger had caught him on the half-way only to be swatted back with a powerful hand-off. Back Burger came on the 22m and again he was swatted away. Still Burger gave chase and made a last ditch effort to bring Benjamin down only to be denied again by a third powerful hand-off as Benjamin crossed in the corner.

That score sparked the Lions into life and by half time they had turned a ten point deficit into a one point lead going down the tunnel. Strydom, who missed his first two efforts at goal, finally got on the board with five minutes until the break with a simple effort. He then doubled his personal tally with a huge 50m effort from on the half-way line to send his side in with the lead.

It was a lead that would not last long as within ninety seconds of the re-start after half time Philip Burger made up for his earlier error with an opportunist try of his own. Marius Joubert again did the hard work ripping the ball free from Ernst Joubert in the tackle. This allowed the Cheetahs to attack down the blind and Burger was released to scorch in from the half way line with De Waal adding the extras.

With a flood of replacements introduced into the game it became a little loose for a period until De Waal added a penalty to his two conversions to take the Cheetahs lead out to nine points. Had it not been for poor kicking from Louis Strydom the lead may have been cut but he missed two shots at goal to leave his side chasing the game entering the final quarter.

They were however handed a numerical advantage when Ollie le Roux was sent to cool his heels after he was caught playing the ball on the floor. Again Strydom had a chance to reduce the arrears with a long-range penalty, but again his effort came up short as Le Roux limbered up on the sidelines to return to the fray with no damage done during his absence.

As the sands of time passed them by the Lions fought valiantly to rescue something from the game but when all was said and done they came up short and left the game empty handed despite playing positive rugby for large periods. And the final nail was put in their coffin by replacement flank Kabamba Floors. De Waal chipped a flat defence before regathering and sending Floors in for the decisive try.

Man of the match: Without doubt this award goes to the impressive Cheetahs scrum-half Falie Oelschig. He was at the heart of all that was good from the Cheetahs before he took a well-deserved break and even had time to slot over a superb drop-goal.

The scorers:

For the Golden Lions:
Try: Benjamin
Pens: Strydom 2

For the Cheetahs:
Tries: Bosman, Burger, Floors
Cons: De Waal 3
Pen: De Waal
DG: Oelschig

Yellow card: Ollie le Roux (playing the ball on the ground - 60th minute)

Teams:

Golden Lions: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Wylie Human, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Ryno Benjamin, 10 Louis Strydom, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Ernst Joubert (captain), 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Anton van Zyl, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Heinke van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Gavin Williamson, 17 Bertus Smit, 18 Cobus Grobler, 19 Wilhelm Koch, 20 Freddie van Zyl, 21 Jaco van Schalkwyk, 22 Thabang Molefe.

Cheetahs: 15 Bevin Fortuin, 14 Philip Burger, 13 Marius Joubert, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Eddie Fredericks, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Falie Oelschig, 8 Darron Nell, 7 Duanne Vermeulen, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Corniel van Zyl, 4 Rory Duncan (captain), 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Ollie le Roux, 18 David de Villiers, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21Alwyn Hollenbach, 22 Gavin Passens.

Referee: Marius Jonker (SARU)
Touch judges: Linston Manuels (SARU), Tiaan Jonker (Golden Lions)
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (Boland)
Assessor: Richard Nash

By Marcus Leach