The Vodacom Bulls hosted the Toyota Cheetahs in a match that was initially played at a frantic pace. The visitors' accuracy and speed on the attack ensured that they returned to Bloemfontein still unbeaten with a well deserved 38-25 victory. The Vodacom Bulls suffered their first defeat of the 2022 Carling Currie Cup.
After a first quarter that was played at a frantic pace with 39 points scored in twenty minutes, the second quarter was a bit of a bore as the teams reverted to a more structured game plan. However, the Cheetahs are looking if they might just have the edge on their hosts.
The Cheetahs scored two quick tries to establish an early lead in the second half. Thereafter, the Bulls were in a catchup mode and failed to score on several occasions due to overeagerness and desperation.
03:20 Chris Smith converted a penalty for the Bulls. (03-00)
06:46 Rosco Specman collected a Siyabonga Masuku grubber to score the Cheetahs first try (03-07)
08:19 Cameron Hanekom's try was the Bulls immediate reply to retake the lead. (10-07)
11:00 Louis van der Westhuizen scored off the back of a 5m linout-maul for the Cheetahs. (10-14)
14:33 Stravino Jacobs scored the Bulls second try. (17-14)
18:50 Chris Smith slots a drop goal for the Bulls. (20-14)
20:00 The first twenty minutes of this match was a full out attack affair, with defence not on many of the players' minds.
20:34 Clayton Blommetjjies scored the Cheetahs third try after some great interplay by the Cheetahs backline. (20-19)
40:00 After a first quarter that was played at a frantic pace the second quarter was a bit of a bore as the teams reverted to a more structured game plan. However, the Cheetahs are looking if they might just have the edge on their hosts.
46:26 Aidon Davis scored the Cheetahs bonus point try following severe pressure by the visitors on the Bulls' tryline for an extended period. (20-26)
55:54 Cameron Hanekom (Bulls) was shown a yellow card.
57:18 Louis van der Westhuizen scored his second try of the match for the Cheetahs from the back of a 5m lineout-maul. (20-33)
60:00 The hosts are struggling to make an impact with their forwards that put a lot of pressure on their backs having to attack from the back foot. The Cheetahs on the other hand got full value for their efforts to lead 20-33.
62:42 Jeandré Rudolph (Cheetahs) was sent to the bin for 10 minutes.
64:33 Lizo Gqoboka (Bulls) was sent to the bin for 10 minutes.
65:54 Siyabonga Masuku's cross-kick was collected by Andisa Ntsila to walk over the Bulls tryline for the Cheetahs sixth try. (20-38)
68:58 The Bulls was quick to replay as Sibongile Novuka went over in the corner for the Bulls third try. (25-38).
Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls: Tries: Cameron Hanekom, Stravino Jacobs. Conversions: Chris Smith (2). Penalty: Chris Smith. Drop goal: Chris Smith.
Toyota Cheetahs: Tries: Rosco Specman, Louis van der Westhuizen (2), Clayton Blommetjjies, Aidon Davis, Andisa Ntsila. Conversions: Ruan Pienaar (4).
Vodacom Bulls: 15. David Kriel, 14. Sibongile Novuka, 13. Stedman Gans, 12. Cornal Hendricks (captain), 11. Stravino Jacobs, 10. Chris Smith, 9. Marco Jansen van Vuren, 8. Muller Uys, 7. Cameron Hanekom, 6. WJ Steenkamp, 5. Janko Swanepoel, 4. Reinhardt Ludwig, 3. Robert Hunt, 2. Schalk Erasmus, 1. Gerhard Steenekamp. Replacements: 16. Joe van Zyl, 17. Lizo Gqoboka, 18. Sebastian Lombard, 19. Raynard Roets, 20. Jaco Labuschagne, 21. Keagan Johannes, 22. Frederik du Plessis, 23. Richard Kriel.
Toyota Cheetahs: 15. Clayton Blommetjies, 14. Rosko Specman, 13. David Brits, 12. Frans Steyn, 11. Enver Brandt, 10. Siyabonga Masuku, 9. Ruan Pienaar (captain), 8. Mihlali Mosi, 7. Andisa Ntsila, 6. Gideon van der Merwe, 5. Victor Sekekete, 4. Aidon Davis, 3. Marné Coetzee, 2. Louis van der Westhuizen, 1. Schalk Ferreira. Replacements: 16. Janus Venter, 17. Alulutho Tshakweni, 18. Conraad van Vuuren, 19. Sergio Moreira, 20. Jeandré Rudolph, 21. Rewan Kruger, 22 Reinhardt Fortuin, 23. Robert Ebersohn.