The Toyota Free State Cheetahs on October 30 retained their spot in the 2019 Currie Cup Premier Division. They defeated first division champions, SWD Eagles, by 36-5 in a promotion/ relegation match in Bloemfontein.
The Free Staters scored three tries in the first half, one of which was a penalty try after overpowering the visitors from George in an attacking scrum, to build up an encouraging 19-0 lead. They added another three as the match progressed to seal the emphatic victory to retain their status in the Currie Cup.
The opening ten minutes of the clash were slow as the teams battled to build momentum, but the Toyota Free State Twelve minutes into the game, Cheetahs earned the first points through a penalty try, after which SWD lost Mzufukile Sofisa to a yellow card. The hosts took advantage of this and scored two tries within two minutes compliments of Rabz Maxwane and Tian Schoeman, which handed them a 19-0 lead.
SWD Eagles were restored to 15 men soon after, and they contained the home side on defence for the remainder of the half. But they were left wanting on the attack as mistakes at crucial times denied them from building momentum on attack except for an encouraging string of phases in the dying minutes of the first half.
The Cheetahs continued to use their opportunities in the second half, with Louis Fouche scoring their fourth try in the 60th minute after a sniping run by Rudy Paige. William Small-Smith added back-to-back tries after cutting through the defensive line to touch down and then gathering a smart pass from Paige for his second try.
The visitors tried hard to make their presence felt on the attack, but they only earned five points for their efforts thanks to an intercept try by Vuyo Mbotho in the 61st minute, as errors continued to haunt them close to the try line.
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