Cheetahs win Currie Cup after nine years

Toyota Free State Cheetahs flyhalf Niel Marais steered his team to their first Currie Cup title since 2007, at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday October 15.

Marais scored 21 points in their 36-16 victory against the Vodacom Blue Bulls, in front of sell-out crowd of 43 401 spectators.

The Toyota Free State Cheetahs’ victory not only earned them the title; it also ensured that they achieved a fairy-tale finish to the season, as they won all ten of their matches. It’s only the third time in the professional era that a team finished the Currie Cup season unbeaten – the first was the Cell C Sharks in 1996 and the Xerox Golden Lions did it last year.

The Golden Lions meanwhile, won the SA Rugby u.19 and u.21 Championship titles as they defeated Western Province 60-19 and 38-34 respectively.

In the Currie Cup Premier Division final, both teams showed a willingness to retain possession and run hard on attack, while they supported that with a solid defensive effort. It paved the way for a riveting clash in which both sides came close to the try line on a handful of occasions, but found themselves settling for penalty goals to accumulate points in the first 60 minutes.

The match opened up as the clock wound down, which saw the Toyota Free State Cheetahs score two tries and the Vodacom Blue Bulls one in the final quarter. But early on, it was Marais who set the tone when he kicked six penalty goals in the first half, while his Vodacom Blue Bulls counterpart Tian Schoeman kicked three; as the home team took the lead by 18-9 at half-time.

Three of the hosts’ penalty goals were scored while the visitors were reduced to 14 men, as winger Jamba Ulengo was sent to the sin-bin for a professional foul. Marais had another shot at goal shortly after play resumed in the second half, but his attempt was unsuccessful. He slotted his seventh penalty goal minutes later to increase their score and his personal tally to 21 points.

The Toyota Free State Cheetahs’ innovative attacking play paid off soon after, as fullback Clayton Blommetjies rounded off a fantastic team try – following an intercept and exciting run by Sergeal Petersen. Replacement flyhalf Fred Zeilinga kicked the team’s eighth penalty goal to push them 31-9 ahead with 13 minutes left on the clock.

The Vodacom Blue Bulls hit back with a try by replacement scrumhalf Piet van Zyl, to reduce the deficit on the scoreboard to 31-16. That was cancelled out soon after however, as Petersen dashed into space close to the touchline to score their second try and stretch their lead to 36-16, which proved to be the final score.

In the SA Rugby u.21 Championship final, the Golden Lions and Western Province were involved in a tight tussle as both sides tried hard to make their presence felt on attack and put their bodies on the line on defence. That resulted in each team crossing the tryline only once in the first half and kicking two penalty goals. The successful conversion by the Johannesburg side however, handed them a narrow 13-11 lead going into the break.

The second half was equally hard-fought as both teams found their rhythm on attack, which saw the Golden Lions score three tries to two by Western Province. The Lions’ final try however, by their captain and centre Jarryd Sage four minutes before the final whistle and an extra successful conversion by his midfield partner, Shaun Reynolds, cancelled out an extra penalty goal by the Capetonians and secured the 38-34 victory for the Lions.

The Golden Lions u.19 team meanwhile, were in fine form against Western Province as they applied pressure and showed innovation on attack from start to end, for their 60-19 victory. The Lions’ effective attack was supported by impressive finishing, as they ran in an impressive eight tries to only three by their Cape opponents.

The match was particularly memorable for replacement back and ex-Parktown Boys High pupil Madosha Tambwe, who scored three of the Lions’ eight tries and fullback Jean Luc Cilliers (from the Western Cape’s Paarl Boys High, ironically) – who slotted over seven conversions and two penalty goals for a personal total of 20 points.

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