Currie Cup: Cheetahs win a thrilling farce at Loftus

Both coaches probably needed medical attention for what their players put them through, but it was the Free State Cheetahs who eventually edged out the Blue Bulls 41-40 in their Currie Cup match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.

In a free-flowing encounter that degenerated into many moments of sheer farce, the Cheetahs won the game with an 85^th-minute try in the corner by left wing Makazole Mapimpi, after a string of penalties against the home side.

The Blue Bulls had only themselves to blame though, as with 90 seconds left in the match they had the ball in their own 22.

They needed to kick it downfield – and preferably out – but instead they tried to hang on to the ball.

For a team that has battled to hang on to possession for longer than a minute the whole year, it was a hopelessly poor decision.

The visitors also did their best to lose the game with comical moments that included passing the ball around behind their own line, a clearing kick that gave the Bulls a lineout five metres from their tryline, conversions missed from in front of goal, and penalties to touch that instead went over the touch-in-goal line.

Who was the star in this match?

The Cheetahs are lethal out wide with the pace and skills of Mapimpi, Sergeal Petersen and replacement Rosko Specman. Man of the match Mapimpi was the most dangerous player on the field and his match-winning effort in the corner completed his hat-trick. It is a tremendous credit to Bulls opposite number Jamba Ulengo that he did not score six as Ulengo pulled off a couple of superb tackles on the flying winger.

Key themes and moments

• Blue Bulls coach Nollis Marais declined to comment afterwards on Tony Jantjies, besides saying it was “unacceptable” after the flyhalf twice had easy conversions charged down, costing the home side four crucial points.
• Free State fullback Clayton Blommetjies stepped up in the second half to provide the comic relief, although coach Rory Duncan certainly wasn’t laughing. Blommetjies was caught behind his own tryline and had the ball ripped out of his grasp as Ulengo scored his second try. Blommetjies then hooked the conversion of Petersen’s 66^th-minute try, set up by centre William Small-Smith’s midfield break, wide of the posts from right in front. With the Cheetahs trailing 36-40 and chasing the game, he then kicked a penalty dead when going for touch to set up a lineout drive.
• The Blue Bulls are still struggling to settle into their new defensive plan, providing easy pickings for the Free State backs, with Petersen’s try and that by outside centre Francois Venter in the 45^th minute coming straight from first phase.
• The Cheetahs were also dominant in the scrums and eighthman Jasper Wiese scored from a classic pushover try.

Scorers

Blue Bulls: Tries – Dries Swanepoel, Tony Jantjies, Jamba Ulengo (2), Warrick Gelant. Conversions – Jantjies (2), Josh Stander. Penalties – Jantjies (3).

Free State Cheetahs: Tries – Makazole Mapimpi (3), Jasper Wiese, Francois Venter, Sergeal Petersen. Conversions – Ryno Eksteen (4). Penalty – Eksteen.

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