Cape Town – The Cheetahs’ greater experience and composure on attack saw them end the Bulls’ unbeaten start to the Currie Cup with a convincing 38-25 victory at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday night.
The men from Bloemfontein scored six tries to the three of the Pretoria outfit, and were well deserved victors against an error-ridden home side.
The Bulls’ major problem throughout the match was their lineout, which limited their options to launch attacks inside the Cheetahs’ 22.
Bulls hooker Schalk Erasmus had a difficult time in feeding the set-piece as the Cheetahs disrupted their opponents by contesting vigorously, with locks Aidon Davis and Victor Sekekete especially prominent.
That meant that captain Cornal Hendricks had to opt for a few tap penalties, or when they did go for touch, No 5 lock Janko Swanepoel had to call a couple of short throws to the front that stopped any possible momentum.
Scrumhalf Marco Jansen van Vuren was also placed under great pressure by Cheetahs captain Ruan Pienaar around the fringes, while he battled to get his box-kicks going as well.
The Cheetahs were the better team from the start, with lively wing Rosko Specman finishing easily from a perfect grubber by impressive flyhalf Siya Masuku, after Frans Steyn got over the advantage line following a lineout drive.
But from the resultant kickoff, Cheetahs fullback Clayton Blommetjies dropped the ball in the air, and teenaged flank Cameron Hanekom hacked the ball through to score on debut.
There were three more tries by the 21 st minute, with hooker Louis van der Westhuizen and Blommetjies dotting down for the Cheetahs, and Stravino Jacobs for the Bulls that saw the home side lead 20-19, due to a Chris Smith drop goal.
But that point onwards, the visitors took the initiative as they stopped the Bulls from scoring with committed defence.
After halftime, the Cheetahs forwards were rewarded for their physical dominance as Davis rounded off following a number of strong carries close to the line to put his team 26-20 ahead.
The Bulls had a horror run from the 53rd to the 56th minutes as they wasted two more attacking opportunities, and then lock Reinhardt Ludwig was yellow-carded by referee Paul Mente for a cynical infringement.
The Cheetahs went on to score from the resultant lineout, with hooker Van der Westhuizen falling over from a rumbling driving maul.
Hard-working flank Andisa Ntsila completed the bonus-point victory with a simple catch from a classy cross-kick from flyhalf Masuku, and there was no way back for the Bulls as the Cheetahs led 33-20 with less than 15 minutes to go.
Right wing Sibongile Novuka added a welcome bright note to a forgettable Bulls performance with a determined run to score in the corner as he held off a few Cheetahs defenders, but it was too late for Gert Smal’s team to launch a comeback.
Points-Scorers
Bulls 25 – Tries: Cameron Hanekom, Stravino Jacobs, Sibongile Novuka. Conversions: Chris Smith (2). Penalty: Smith (1). Drop goal: Smith (1).
Cheetahs 38 – Tries: Rosko Specman, Louis van der Westhuizen (2), Clayton Blommetjies, Aidon Davis, Andisa Ntsila. Conversions: Ruan Pienaar (4).
IOL Sport