The Suzuki Griquas secured a thrilling 24-21 bonus-point victory over the Toyota Cheetahs in Round 3 of the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, completely shattering their rivals' unbeaten start to the season.
The Toyota Cheetahs opened the scoring after launching wave after wave of intense attack inside the Griquas red zone. Lock Simon Miller eventually forced his way over the tryline after nine minutes of brutal play. Fullback Cohen Jasper added the extra two points, pushing the visitors into an early 07-00 lead.
While the Cheetahs dominated early territory, the Griquas patiently clawed their way back into the match, setting up camp deep inside the opposition 22, hooker Tiaan Lange eventually barged over the line. Flyhalf George Whitehead slotted the conversion to level the scores at 07-07 after 20 minutes.
Both teams traded attacking opportunities in a highly physical affair, but it was Griquas eighthman Carl Els who bulldozed his way over the whitewash following a gruelling 15-phase build-up. By the 34th minute, the hosts held a 12-07 lead.
Just two minutes later, a critical turnover in their own half allowed the Griquas to launch a devastating counter-attack. Following a frantic period of helter-skelter action, scrumhalf Bobby Alexander showed immense composure to finish in the corner. His try extended the Griquas' lead to 17-07, which held until the halftime whistle.
The opening stanza was an all-action affair dominated by the big forwards doing the dirty work. Alexander’s brilliant finish was the only score of the half that did not originate from tight, multi-phase forward carries close to the rucks. The Griquas scrum also set the tone, operating as the vastly dominant set-piece before the break.
The Cheetahs hit back 11 minutes into the second half when replacement hooker Marko Janse van Rensburg powered over from the back of a perfectly executed driving maul. Jasper's conversion cut the deficit to 17-14.
The visitors, at that stage, upped the tempo, spreading the ball wide to exploit space with their backline. Only a beautifully structured and desperate Griquas defensive effort kept the charging Cheetahs at bay.
Ten minutes later, the hosts responded in kind. Lange crossed the whitewash for his second try of the evening, mirroring the Cheetahs by scoring off a clinical 5-metre lineout maul. The score secured a vital four-try attacking bonus point for the Griquas. Whitehead added the conversion, pushing the lead back out to 24-14.
With just eight minutes remaining on the clock, the star-studded Cheetahs bench made an impact. Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk unleashed wing Prince Nkabinde, who ran a brilliant line and used his raw, blistering pace to slice the Griquas' defensive line in two, scoring under the posts. Jasper converted to cut the Griquas’ lead to 24-21.
The Cheetahs threw everything they had left at the hosts during a tense final passage of play. Despite being reduced to 14 men in the dying moments, the Free State side relentlessly pounded the defensive wall but simply could not find the match-winning points before time ran out.
Scorers:
Suzuki Griquas: Tries: Tiaan Lange (2), Carl Els, Bobby Alexander. Conversions: George Whitehead (2).
Toyota Cheetahs: Tries: Simon Miller, Marko Janse van Rensburg, Prince Nkabinde. Conversions: Cohen Jasper (3).
Teams:
Suzuki Griquas: 15 Stefan Coetzee, 14 Connor Mahoney, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Gurswin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Bobby Alexander, 8 Carl Els, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg (c), 4 Lungisi Mbiko, 3 Ig Prinsloo, 2 Tiaan Lange, 1 Leon Lyons. Replacements: 16 Janus Venter, 17 Corné Lavagna, 18 Ntobeko Shezi, 19 Carel van der Merwe, 20 Phumzile Maqondwana, 21 Jack Hart, 22 Damian Markus, 23 Sako Makata.
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Henry Immelman, 14 Cohen Jasper, 13 Carel Jan Coetzee, 12 Jooste Nel, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 Ethan Wentzel, 9 Rewan Kruger, 8 Neels Volschenk, 7 Juan Venter, 6 Ramon Uys, 5 Victor Sekekete (c), 4 Simon Miller, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 2 Juan Smal, 1 Tebogo Nkosi. Replacements: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Tielman Niewoudt, 18 Ben Pitout, 19 Daniel Maartens, 20 Sisonke Vumazonke, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 Michael Annies.