Vodacom Cheetahs crush Hurricanes

Naas Oliver © Gallo Images

The Vodacom Cheetahs produced a scintillating forward performance to down the previously unbeaten Hurricanes 28-12 in their Vodacom Super 14 match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Blow-by-blow scoring

After their disappointment against the Highlanders last weekend, Juan Smith’s side bounced back to claim a workmanlike victory over a side filled with flair as they ground out the win on the back of some excellent tackling and the boots of Meyer Bosman and Naas Olivier.

The victory means a great deal for the Bulls, as the Cheetahs did them an amazing favour in leaving the Pretoria side as the only unbeaten team in the competition after four rounds.

With the Bulls not playing this weekend because of an enforced bye, the Cheetahs victory, coupled with the shock the Reds caused Friday against the Chiefs, has left the defending champions a point clear at the top of the log with a game in hand.

There was little flash in the way the Cheetahs played against one of the most expansive teams in the business. They defended like demons, took every opportunity for points and built an innings on the scoreboard the old fashioned way.

Bosman, in particular, would have added much pressure on the Hurricanes attack as three of his four penalties were over 50 metres long and the fourth around 46 metres in length.

Add to this two yellow cards for the Hurricanes, and it is understandable they couldn’t get their game on track in Bloemfontein. Ma’a Nonu’s spear tackle on Juan Smith, which earned him the mandatory 10 minute rest may well be looked at more closely by the citing commissioner after the game.

Bosman opened the scoring with a massive kick before David Smith found the overlap to run in for a textbook try. The ease with which it was scored brought back memories of last weekend’s defensive woes, but it was to be almost the last such slip up from the Cheetahs defence.

Behind in both the territory and possession stakes throughout the match, the Cheetahs tackled their hearts out, and were rewarded as they won penalties at the breakdown and in the setpiece scrum on countless occasions.

This allowed Bosman and Naas Olivier to keep the scoreboard ticking, leaving them 12-5 ahead at the break.

In the second half, the Cheetahs stepped up on attack, and with more space opening, the counter-attacking skills of Lionel Mapoe and Jonghi Nokwe in particular aided their cause. Nokwe put in the telling chip that was picked up by Kabamba Floors and which carried him over in the corner for the Cheetahs only try.

Then it was back to the same recipe, with Bosman and Olivier slotting penalties again to build a massive 25-5 lead before the Canes finally found a gap to see Corey Jane beat three tackles and go over in the corner.

By then it was way too late to save the game, and the Cheetahs drilled their resolve home with Olivier’s third penalty to truly seal a victory the Cheetahs desperately need at this stage of the competition.

Scorers

Vodacom Cheetahs - try: Kabamba Floors. Conversion: Naas Olivier. Penalties: Meyer Bosman (4), Naas Olivier (3)

Hurricanes - try: David Smith, Corey Jane. Conversion: Willie Ripia.

Read more on the Super 14 page.

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