Currie Cup hat-trick for Cheetahs
Brad Morgan
29 October 2007
Bloemfontein was at the centre of a weekend of rugby celebrations as the Free State capital hosted a visit from the World Cup winning Springboks and the Currie Cup final between the home town Cheetahs and the Golden Lions on Saturday.
The Boks, after visiting Soweto and former President Nelson Mandela on Saturday morning, paraded the Webb Ellis Trophy through the City of Roses to an enthusiastic response before attending the Currie Cup final where the Cheetahs were aiming for a hat-trick of titles.
At Vodacom Park, the scene of the title-decider, the stadium was a sea of orange as the home town fans turned out to support their team.
Tough road
The Golden Lions, meanwhile, had made it through the hard way. After finishing third in the standings, they needed to beat the Natal Sharks in Durban to qualify for their first final since 2002. Employing an unyielding defence and opportunistic counter-attacking, the
team from Johannesburg ran in three tries to nil as they shocked the Sharks 19-12.
In Bloemfontein, in the first half, the Cheetahs took the lead in the sixth minute after the Lions were penalised for going offsides in defence and flyhalf Willem de Waal slotted the kick at goal.
Two minutes later, the roles were reversed as the Cheetahs were pinged for the same reason and Lions' flyhalf Louis Strydom booted the ball between the uprights to make it 3-3.
The battle raged back and forth without either side being able to add to the early points they had scored.
Drop goal misses
De Waal missed with a long range drop goal attempt after 21 minutes and three minutes later Strydom was also wide left with a drop goal effort of his own.
With halftime approaching De Waal edged the home team ahead with a second penalty. Strydom could have levelled matters in the 37th minute, but his kick hit the upright and bounced back into
play.
When the whistle sounded for the break there were only three points in it, at 6-3 to the Cheetahs.
Eight minutes into the second half, the Cheetahs were reduced to 14 men when Darren Nell was sin-binned for trampling a Lions' player deep inside the visitors' 22-metre area.
First try
With the eighthman still on the sidelines, the Lions scored the first try of the game. Regaining the ball after an up-and-under, they moved it left, with men lined up out wide. Captain Ernst Joubert almost broke through a gap, but as he was tackled just short of the line he offloaded to hooker Willie Wepener, who crashed over in a tackle for the five-pointer.
The conversion missed, but the Lions had taken the lead for the first time in the contest at 8-6.
Just three minutes later coach Loffie Eloff's charges extended their advantage. Tewis de Bruyn - on for fullback Alwyn Hollenbach, who was injured early on and forced to leave the field -
failed to catch an up-and-under and Lions' scrumhalf Jano Vermaak was on hand to grab the spilled ball and cross the tryline.
Earl Rose, who had ignited the Lions' backline after Strydom exited the game with an injury, was on target with the conversion, extending the Lions' lead to 15-6.
Nell returned to the field, but the Cheetahs were again down to 14 men shortly afterwards when wing Eddie Fredericks was shown a yellow card for a shoulder charge off the ball.
Big lead
Rose made the Cheetahs pay, converting the penalty and putting the Lions 18-6 in front with only 16 minutes to go. A first Currie Cup title since 1999, when the Lions shocked the Sharks 32-9 in Durban, looked on the cards, but the defending champion Cheetahs were not going to go down without a fight.
Three minutes later, they brought the home crowd back into the game when Heinrich Brussouw crashed over for their first try after a strong maul at the Lions'
tryline.
De Waal nailed the conversion to leave the Cheetahs a try in arrears at 18-13 down.
Another maul nearly produced a second try for the Free Staters, but after the decision was referred to the television match official (TMO) a five-metre scrum was awarded.
Lions' wing Ryno Benjamin then became the third player to be shown a yellow card when he was penalised for a high tackle. With only six minutes to go, it meant he would not return to the field.
TMO decision
The television match official was called on again in the 76th minute. Pushing hard for a try, the Cheetahs forced the Lions back onto their tryline and then swiftly passed the ball left. De Bruyn took the ball on the flank and stepped wide towards the sideline before diving and downing the ball as the corner flag was sent flying when he was tackled.
This time the TMO's decision favoured the Cheetahs as the replays showed De Bruyn got the ball down before he hit
the corner flag. The scores were level at 18-18 with De Waal's conversion from the touchline still to come.
His kick was good and the home fans roared with pleasure.
Three minutes later the final whistle sounded and the Cheetahs had ensured the Currie Cup would spend the next year in Bloemfontein with a 20-18 victory.
Three in a row
In 2006, they had shared the title with the Blue Bulls after the teams had played out a 28-28 draw, while the year before they had shocked the Blue Bulls 29-25 in Pretoria to win the title for only the second time ever, with their first victory having been achieved in 1976.
With many of the country's leading players not part of the 2007 Currie Cup because they were in the Springbok team that won the World Cup, it proved to be a season that showed the depth of some of the teams, and the lack of it in other sides.
Teams like the Sharks, for instance, had to use some players who would usually have
been fourth choice in their positions had the full squad been available for selection, and this spoke well of a healthy rugby culture in such provinces.
In the light of that, the failure of a side like the Falcons to make any impression on the competition – they lost all 14 of their games – was disappointing.
Worthy winners
What is clear, when everything is taken into account, is that the Cheetahs were worthy winners of the Currie Cup.
In round robin play, they suffered only a single loss all season, scored 142 more points than the next highest scoring team, and 16 more tries than the next best teams.
Flyhalf Willem de Waal, who will play his rugby in France next season, was far and away the competition's leading scorer with 212 points; Conrad Barnard of Griquas was next in line with 144 points.
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