Sharks down Cheetahs to stay in touch

Updated May 20, 2012 09:49:43

Fly half Freddie Michalak posted 19 points as the Sharks beat the Cheetahs 34-20 in an all-South African clash at the Free State Stadium.

The Sharks enjoyed a slight edge in a bruising encounter, with their direct running taking them over the advantage line, allowing their backs space to run in four tries and notch a vital bonus point.

The Sharks laid down an early marker after keeping the ball from the kick-off for 12 phases and two minutes and 25 seconds, loosehead prop Tendai Mtawarira and hooker Bismarck du Plessis carrying the ball strongly and providing outside centre JP Pietersen with the space to dot down.

Michalak converted to give the Sharks an early 7-0 lead, but their ill-discipline at the ruck and the running of Cheetahs forwards Philip van der Walt, Adriaan Strauss and George Earle led to two penalties for fly half Riaan Smit.

The Cheetahs backs also have plenty of flair with ball in hand and outside centre Robert Ebersohn's marvellous break from the restart led to hooker Strauss muscling his way over for a 32nd-minute try.

Michalak struck back after the Cheetahs defence allowed Riaan Viljoen's booming kick to bounce inside their 22. The 29--year-old got a hand to the ball, regathered and scored only his second Super Rugby try.

Wing Paul Jordaan obstructed the Cheetahs chase at the restart and conceded a penalty, which Smit kicked to level the scores at 14-14.

With the half-time hooter having just gone, the Sharks ran a penalty and wing Lwazi Mvovo crossed over. Michalak converted, before stretching the Sharks' lead to 24-14 with a penalty six minutes into the second half.

Replacement fly half Sias Ebersohn kicked a penalty for the Cheetahs in the 53rd minute, as the Sharks, with Du Plessis in the sin-bin after a second shoulder charge, had their hands in the ruck.

The Cheetahs went into the final quarter 20-24 down after Mtawarira infringed in the scrum and Sias Ebersohn kicked his second penalty.

The Sharks dominated the closing stages, with Michalak increasing the lead to 27-20 with a penalty. The bonus point try came in the 73rd minute when Pietersen stole the ball on the right wing, Mvovo jinked his way deep into the Cheetahs 22 and replacement centre Meyer Bosman dived over.

Michalak added the conversion as the Sharks kept themselves inside the top six and the play-off places.

Cheetahs: 20 (A Strauss try; R Smit 3; Sias Ebersohn 2 pens)

Sharks: 34 (JP Pietersen, F Michalak, L Mvovo, M Bosman tries; Michalak 4 cons; Michalak 2 pens)

Reuters

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, south-africa

First posted May 20, 2012 07:13:56

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Mitchell set to return against Cheetahs

Updated May 14, 2012 11:50:24

Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell is confident he will resume his Super Rugby career against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein later this month.

Mitchell aggravated an ankle injury during the World Cup in October and is yet to play for the Waratahs this season.

He flew out with the Waratahs squad on Saturday for their two-match tour of South Africa and is expected to play in the second match against the Cheetahs.

It's been a long road to recovery for Mitchell who was told by doctors that he may not play again.

"I've only played two or three games in the last 13 months but now I'm pretty close to being a rugby player again," Mitchell told ABC Grandstand before flying out with the Waratahs.

"It's been a big step just to be able to train with the boys in a team environment as opposed to being an individual athlete in rehab."

Mitchell said he had been told by several medical specialists that he may not play again but never gave up on returning to the game.

"I had a few different specialists tell me that. It was quite hard at one point because we had so many differing opinions.

"It was almost like a lottery which one we were going to take but fortunately the ankle has responded to treatment and I'm ready to play."

Mitchell said he was put through training sessions that replicated games to test his ability to return to Super Rugby.

He will continue to train hard in the week leading up to the Stormers game in Capetown on Sunday morning (AEST) but is preparing to play against the Cheetahs the following week.

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, australia, sydney-2000

First posted May 14, 2012 11:45:15

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Stormers keep Cheetahs at bay for ninth win

Updated May 13, 2012 12:02:11

The Stormers had to withstand a ferocious comeback by the Cheetahs before clinching a 16-14 win in their Super 15 clash at Newlands on Sunday morning (AEST).

It was the ninth win in 10 matches for the Stormers, but the Cape side once again failed to secure an attacking bonus point.

Despite having five Springboks in their backline, the only Stormers try in the South African derby came from a forward rush and they seldom mounted any significant attacks.

The Stormers have scored only 17 tries in 10 matches and centre and captain Jean de Villiers admitted: "It wasn't our best performance.

"If we want to play like this I can't see us going further in this competition. We need to go back to the drawing board and play better next week and in the two weeks after that, otherwise we are in trouble."

Despite having won one more match than the Bulls, the Stormers trail their South African conference rivals by a point because the Pretoria side have collected six bonus points.

The Stormers led 16-0 at half-time through a try by lock Eben Etzebeth and three penalty goals and a conversion by fly-half Peter Grant.

Lock Andries Bekker came close to scoring at the start of the second half but was tackled into touch and the Stormers squandered an attacking opportunity soon after when they were awarded a five-metre scrum but then conceded a penalty.

Fortunes changed dramatically as the Cheetahs dominated possession for the rest of the match and scored tries through full-back Hennie Daniller and left wing Willie le Roux, both converted by replacement fly-half Riaan Smit.

Whereas in the first half the Cheetahs had difficulty keeping on the right side of referee Steve Walsh in the scrums and mauls, it was the Stormers who conceded a string of penalties, especially in the scrums, in the second half.

Stormers flank Rynhardt Elstadt was given a yellow card for kneeing an opponent midway through the second half and there was a mass brawl soon after which resulted in Walsh issuing a white card, meaning the incident will be reviewed by the match commissioner.

Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss said: "We had a shocking first half but I am proud of our second-half performance."

Stormers: 16 - (E Etzebeth try; P Grant con, 3 pens)

Cheetahs: 14 - (H Daniller, W le Roux tries; R Smit 2 cons)

AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, south-africa

First posted May 13, 2012 07:50:26

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Strauss inspires Cheetahs to Force win

Updated May 06, 2012 09:16:27

Central Cheetahs edged Western Force 17-13 in an error-strewn Super 15 contest at Free State Stadium on Sunday (AEST).

Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss, the outstanding player in the match, scored what proved the winning try when he crossed the Force line in the 54th minute.

The Cheetahs, trailing 9-13, had opted not to kick at the posts three times in quick succession, having been awarded penalties in the Force 22-metre area.

The home team stretched the lead to 17-13 when fly-half Sias Ebersohn landed his third penalty goal and a crucial moment came with 18 minutes to go when the Force were awarded a penalty in front of the Cheetahs' posts.

They opted for a scrum, then conceded a penalty that enabled Cheetahs to kick their way out of danger.

It was one of 16 penalties conceded by Force against only eight by Cheetahs and the Australians several times showed their frustration in a niggly, bad-tempered encounter.

Cheetahs dominated possession during the first half, but were fortunate to lead 9-6 at half-time.

Shortly before the break, Force wing Samu Wara crossed for what appeared to be a try, but assistant referee Stefan Breytenbach notified referee Stuart Berry of foul play in the build-up.

Instead of awarding a try, Berry penalised Force prop Salesi Ma'afu for tackling an opponent around the neck.

But it took Force only six minutes of the second half to score the first try when a clearance kick by Cheetahs full-back Hennie Daniller was charged down by centre Winston Stanley, who picked up for a simple try.

Cheetahs hit back almost immediately and always looked the more likely side to score although Force pressed hard in the closing minutes.

"It was a hard-fought game," said Force captain and Wallaby flank David Pocock.

"The Cheetahs defence was too good. We were disappointed we turned over the ball on their line right at the end."

Strauss said it was a physical encounter. "They were good at the breakdowns. Every time we got momentum they stopped us," he said.

Cheetahs might have won more easily if Ebersohn, starting at fly-half in place of injured teenage star Johan Goosen, had been in better goal-kicking form as he landed only three of seven attempts.

Cheetahs 17: Try: A Strauss. Pens: S Ebersohn 3, T de Bruyn.

Force 13: Try: W Stanley. Cons: D Harvey. Pens: Harvey 2

AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, south-africa

First posted May 06, 2012 06:31:03

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Cheetahs' scoring burst downs Lions

Updated April 08, 2012 07:47:19

A burst of scoring in the first half set up a 26-5 win for Central Cheetahs against Golden Lions in a Super 15 match at Free State Stadium on Saturday.

The win gave the home team a six-point advantage over the Lions after the battle between the bottom teams in the South African conference.

It could prove a crucial difference as the team which finishes last could face relegation as a result of a decision by the South African Rugby Union to guarantee a place in next year's competition to newcomers Southern Kings.

It took the Cheetahs 20 minutes to score the first points of the match, through a penalty by fly-half Johan Goosen but they then took control during a 15-minute period in which they added another 20 points to go into half-time 23-0 ahead.

The home team crossed the try-line barely a minute after Goosen's opening penalty when Lions wing Deon van Rensburg, under pressure, failed to find touch inside his own 22-metre line.

Cheetahs spread the ball quickly across the field and centre Robert Ebersohn skipped through for a try.

Two more Goosen penalties were followed by a second try by Ebersohn, after left wing Willie le Roux ghosted into the backline from the blindside to set up the score.

Lions pressed hard in the closing minutes of the half, five times spurning kickable penalties in an attempt to score a try but their pressure failed to yield points, with a pass going into touch almost three minutes after the half-time hooter.

The Johannesburg-based team came out firing in the second half and dominated possession and territory.

But their only reward was a try 15 minutes from the end by flank Cobus Grobbelaar following a break from a line-out by replacement scrum-half Michael Bondesio.

Cheetahs could add only a solitary penalty by replacement fly-half Sias Ebersohn in the second half.

Goosen did not return after half-time after appearing to suffer an injured left shoulder when he was tackled heavily by opposing fly-half Elton Jantjies.

Jantjies, who kicked nine penalties when the Lions won 27-25 in a first round match between the teams in Johannesburg, did not have a single penalty attempt and missed his only kick at goal when he failed to convert Grobbelaar's try.

Cheetahs 26: (R Ebersohn 2 tries. J Goosen 2 cons. Goosen 3, S Ebersohn pens)

Lions 5: (C Grobbelaar try)

AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, south-africa

First posted April 08, 2012 07:44:40

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Cheetahs overhaul Hurricanes in shoot-out

Updated March 31, 2012 17:53:32

The Cheetahs fought back after a withering first-half assault to storm home 47-38 over the Hurricanes in their Super Rugby match on Saturday.

The win in Wellington was a morale-boosting finish to the Cheetahs' tour of Australia and New Zealand, the Bloemfontein-based team returning home with a 2-2 record after a pair of gallant losses to the Brumbies and Crusaders.

The Hurricanes ran over four tries to charge into a 32-11 lead by the 31st minute, but were stunned as the Cheetahs hit back with three of their own to finish level at the break.

Tighthead prop WP Nel ratcheted up the pressure with a try 15 minutes after half-time and loosehead Coeni Oosthuizen drove over the line in the 69th before the Cheetahs defended grimly to take the bonus point victory.

"It was definitely a great victory ... and it's a nice way to end off the tour," captain Adriaan Strauss said in a pitchside interview.

"They've got their never-say-die attitude ... It's a good place for us to start building on now for when we get home."

Hooker Dane Coles got the Hurricanes off to a flying start by shimmying past a defender to cross near the left post less than three minutes in.

Cheetahs inside centre Andries Strauss touched down near the right hand corner soon after, however, and was awarded the try after a lengthy television review.

The Hurricanes then capitalised on turnovers deep in their own territory to score three tries on the break.

Fly half Beauden Barrett slipped four tackles in an exhilarating 50-metre dash for the first, while full back Andre Taylor streamed down the right wing to score the second.

Winger Julian Savea set up the third nine minutes from the break with a sprint down the left wing and a tidy offload inside to scrum half TJ Perenara who crossed left of the posts.

The Cheetahs began to hold their passes, however, and full-back Hennie Danniller and winger Ryno Benjamin each crossed near the right hand corner after the ball was quickly spread wide to cut the Hurricanes' defence to shreds.

Oosthuizen barged over on the right to score his first try seconds before the half-time whistle.

Barrett scored 23 points for the Hurricanes, slotting the last of his four penalties in the 60th minute to have his team claw back to trail 40-38, but Oosthuizen's second try sealed a deserving win for the Cheetahs, who had dominated territory and possession throughout.

Cheetahs: 47 (C Oosthuizen 2, R Benjamin, H Daniller, WP Nel, A Strauss tries; J Goosen 4/6 conversions, 3 penalty goals)

Hurricanes: 38 (B Barrett, D Coles, TJ Perenara, A Taylor tries; Barrett 3/4 conversions, 4 penalty goals)

Reuters

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, new-zealand, south-africa

First posted March 31, 2012 17:53:32

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Steyn reaches 1,000 as Bulls hammer Cheetahs

Updated March 04, 2012 08:02:19

Fly half Morne Steyn became the third player to score 1,000 Super Rugby points as he converted all six of the Bulls' tries and added three penalties in their impressive 51-19 hammering of the Cheetahs on Sunday morning (AEDT).

Steyn joined Canterbury Crusaders fly half Dan Carter (1,272 points) and Australian Stirling Mortlock (1,031) as he became the first South African to reach four figures. He has now scored 1,012 points in 91 games, all for the Bulls.

The Bulls went to the top of the standings with nine points despite finishing the match with 13 men after Francois Hougaard was harshly red-carded in the 64th minute for a tip-tackle and flank Jacques Potgieter was yellow-carded for a shoulder-charge in the 78th minute.

However, such setbacks failed to stop the Bulls from charging to victory and condemning fellow South African side the Cheetahs to the bottom of the table.

Props Dean Greyling and Werner Kruger scored the first two Bulls tries from close range, while Cheetahs flyhalf Johan Goosen kept the home side in touch with his immaculate kicking ability as he scored three penalties to narrow the gap to 17-9.

The Bulls kept piling on the pressure as wing Bjorn Basson scored another try to open up a commanding 31-12 lead at half-time.

Following the interval, Akona Ndungane burst clear of the Cheetahs' defence and passed inside for full-back Zane Kirchner to score.

Steyn landed his second and third penalties to stretch the lead to 37-12 after 58 minutes.

"We're very disappointed but credit to the Bulls, tactically they were better than us and credit to their defence," Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss said.

"We were on their line for a while but we couldn't get through."

Hougaard was then red-carded, despite centre Robert Ebersohn twisting around in the tackle and going to ground head-first.

That interruption temporarily caught the Bulls off guard and Strauss pounced to score Cheetahs' only try.

The Bulls quickly regained control and scored two more tries in the last 10 minutes through replacement centre JJ Engelbrecht and Kirchner.

"It's easy to play well when 15 players are so willing to work hard for each other," outstanding Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle said.

"Morne Steyn is a special athlete, well done to him."

Bulls: 51 (Z Kirchner 2, D Greyling, W Kruger, B Basson, JJ Engelbrecht tries; M Steyn 6 cons; 3 pens)

Cheetahs: 19 (A Strauss try; J Goosen con; 4 pens)

Reuters

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, south-africa

First posted March 04, 2012 07:54:15

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Sharks bite back to sink Cheetahs

Posted June 5, 2011 06:23:00

The Sharks boosted hopes of a Super Rugby play-offs place by overcoming an eight-point deficit to defeat the Cheetahs 23-18 in a South African showdown.

The winners survived an onslaught after being reduced to 13 players when scrum-half Charl McLeod and flank Keegan Daniel were sent to the sin bin late in the second half by South African referee Marius Jonker.

Sharks signed 28-year-old former France fly half Frederic Michalak from Toulouse this week, included him among seven replacements, but coach John Plumtree kept him on the bench, even when McLeod was yellow carded.

The erratic Sharks dug deep into their reserves of resilience on a chilly evening in this central city to first prevent Cheetahs getting too far ahead and then winning turnovers to gain the possession that brought two tries.

Success at Free State Stadium lifted the Durban team two places to fifth on the table with two rounds left - two points above defending champions Northern Bulls and four in front of the NSW Waratahs.

The Sharks have a tough run-in though, with games against the unpredictable Lions in Johannesburg and the Bulls in Pretoria and may need two victories to seal a top-six finish and a play-offs place.

"We took time to settle, but it was a great win given we often struggle in Bloemfontein," said Springbok captain Smit, who played at loosehead prop instead of his favoured hooker position to accommodate Bismarck du Plessis.

"There were some harsh words at half-time and you saw the difference during the second half. We applied a lot more pressure and won some good turnovers against a Cheetahs team that has grown remarkably this season."

After four consecutive wins, this was the second consecutive loss for the Bloemfontein team and they lie 11th on the table with a home fixture against South African conference leaders Stormers to come following a bye next weekend.

Sharks fly half Patrick Lambie opened the scoring with a penalty before the Cheetahs took control with a try from scrum-half Sarel Pretorius followed by two penalty goals from fly half Sias Ebersohn.

Another Lambie penalty closed the gap to 11-6 at half-time, but the Sharks were flattered given the amount of possession the Cheetahs had and the usually deadly Ebersohn missed a penalty and a conversion.

The second half provided a different story with the Sharks regularly on the front foot and Lambie converted tries by wings Lwazi Mvovo and JP Pieterson to give the Sharks a 23-11 advantage.

Cheetahs wing Riaan Viljoen snatched a try after the Sharks found themselves two men short and Ebersohn converted but by the time Lambie resumed play there were just 57 seconds left and neither team threatened to score.

Sharks: 23 (L Mvovo, JP Pietersen tries; P Lambie 2 cons, 3 pens)

Cheetahs: 18 (S Pretorius, R Viljoen tries; S Ebersohn con, 2 pens)

- AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, south-africa

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Sharks counter Cheetahs' threat

Published:Sunday, June 5, 2011 7:48 AEST

Patrick Lambie of the Sharks gets tagged by the Cheetah's Corne Uys during the Super Rugby match on June 04, 2011 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The Sharks crept into the playoff spots with a 23-18 win.

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Cheetahs winger banned

Posted May 23, 2011 21:31:00

Cheetahs winger Ryno Benjamin was given a two-week Super Rugby ban for head-butting Melbourne Rebels captain Stirling Mortlock on Sunday morning (AEST).

Benjamin received a red card in the closing minutes of the 41-21 win over the Rebels at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein and Mortlock got a yellow card for retaliating.

The suspension rules Benjamin out of South African derbies against the Bulls in Pretoria next Saturday and the Sharks in Bloemfontein the following weekend.

- AFP

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Rebels go down to Cheetahs

Updated May 22, 2011 07:09:00

The Cheetahs romped to their fourth successive win when they beat struggling Melbourne Rebels 41-21 in a Super 15 clash at Free State Stadium overnight.

With both teams committed to attacking rugby, the Cheetahs played with more cohesion and made fewer mistakes on a slippery field.

They continued a late-season surge which has made them one of the form teams in the competition after a poor start in which they lost eight of their first nine matches.

It was another frustrating game for the Rebels, who showed flair on attack but allowed too many turnovers and proved porous on defence as they leaked five tries to the Bloemfontein-based team, taking their tally of tries conceded to 62 in 13 matches.

Rebels showed their intentions early when they opted to kick for touch instead of trying for a penalty goal in the fourth minute.

It almost paid off when left wing Luke Rooney just failed to beat the defence to a stab kick into the in-goal area by centre Mark Gerrard.

A fine break by Gerrard kept the Australian side on the attack, but the Cheetahs scored from their first foray into the Rebels 22 when a powerful scrum set up the first of two tries for centre Corne Uys.

Left wing Rayno Benjamin charged down an attempted clearance kick by Rooney for the second try.

The Rebels hit back when hooker Ged Robinson nipped through the middle of a line-out in a well-worked planned move but the Cheetahs led 21-7 at half-time when hooker and captain Adriaan Strauss forced his way over.

Uys and Strauss added tries in the second half while the Rebels replied with a try by Gerrard and a last-minute penalty try.

An otherwise cleanly fought match was marred five minutes from the end when Benjamin was red carded for head butting Rebels captain Stirling Mortlock, who was given a yellow card for retaliation.

Cheetahs full-back Riaan Viljoen was yellow carded in the last minute for an early tackle which resulted in the Rebels' penalty try.

Mortlock said the Super 15 newcomers had learnt a lot from their first trip to South Africa.

"It's been really positive for us as a group. Unfortunately, it hasn't shown on the field," Mortlock said.

"We've got no points from two games and we've let ourselves down a lot of the time."

- AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, australia, vic, melbourne-3000, south-africa

First posted May 22, 2011 06:22:00

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Crotty hammered by the Cheetahs defence

Published:Sunday, May 15, 2011 11:56 AEST

Ryan Crotty of the Crusaders is hammered by the Cheetahs defence during the home team's 33-20 Super Rugby win in Bloemfontein on May 14, 2011.

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Revitalised Cheetahs shock Crusaders

Posted May 15, 2011 07:05:00

Central Cheetahs have completed a hat-trick of Super Rugby wins for the first time by shocking Canterbury Crusaders 33-20 at Free State Stadium.

The Bloemfontein-based franchise has been among the also-rans of the southern hemisphere championship for several seasons, but a mid-season recovery also claimed the scalps of the Brumbies and Golden Lions.

The Cheetahs turned around a 17-16 half-time deficit to dominate the second half and owed their victory to heroic defence, opportunism on attack, and 23 points from young fly half Sias Ebersohn, who missed just one of eight kicks at goal.

It did not help the home team that injury-prone Springbok flanker Heinrich Brussouw had to come off with a hamstring strain midway through the opening half, but peroxide blond Kabamba Floors proved a superb replacement.

The Crusaders were hit by injuries with leading try scorer Sean Maitland among the absentees, but the Christchurch-based outfit welcomed back its most famous stars, fly half Dan Carter and flanker and captain Richie McCaw.

Carter contributed 12 points before being replaced by Matthew Berquist 12 minutes into the second half while McCaw was constantly involved in the forward exchanges as he made only his third appearance of the season.

"It was a great day for Cheetahs rugby. We have been through some tough times so all credit to the guys and our coaches," said exhausted hooker and captain Adriaan Strauss.

"Defence is an area where we have improved a lot although we did give Crusaders a few easy gaps. Although we had a 13-point lead I didn't feel confident of victory until the final minute."

McCaw said: "We spent too much time at the wrong end of the field and made mistakes. Lacking some players through injury is no excuse as this affects all teams. Consistency is the key to Super success and we need to find it."

Victory left the Cheetahs mid-table with 29 points - 11 fewer than the New South Wales Waratahs which currently occupy the final play-off place.

The Crusaders stayed third, six points adrift of leaders Queensland Reds.

Sias Ebersohn kicked a penalty before a brilliant Robert Fruean midfield break sent Zac Guildford over for a try that Carter converted and the All Blacks pin-up boy added a penalty soon after.

Back came the Cheetahs with Robert Ebersohn, the 22-year-old twin brother of Sias, dotting down after Crusaders failed to deal with a kick ahead and a successful conversion left the teams level at 10-10 with 18 minutes gone.

Sias Ebersohn landed a couple of penalties before Carter ended a 12-phase pounding of the Cheetahs try-line by diving over and he converted to give the seven-time champions a one point advantage at the break.

Another Sias Ebersohn penalty was followed by a try from the pivot which he converted before Berquist cut the gap to six points with 18 minutes remaining before a now frenzied crowd.

Flanker Ashley Johnson, who looks like an 1980s pop star with his mob of jet-black hair, had the final say with an intercept try which Sias Ebersohn converted to finish with 23 points - one less than his haul last weekend.

Cheetahs: 33 (R Ebersohn, S Ebersohn, A Johnson tries; S Ebersohn 3 conversions, 4 penalties)

Crusaders: 20 (Z Guildford, D Carter tries; Carter 2 conversions, penalty; M Berquist penalty)

-AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, new-zealand, south-africa

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Hurricanes edge Cheetahs in thriller

Updated April 17, 2011 07:37:00

A last-minute try by Jeremy Thrush helped the Wellington Hurricanes to snap a four-match losing streak as they edged the Cheetahs 50-47 in their Super rugby match on Saturday.

The New Zealand outfit found themselves trailing by three points as the clock ticked down but a superb breakout from deep inside their own half resulted in lock Thrush been given a clear run to the tryline.

The match was a thrilling affair in which the lead changed 12 times as the two teams combined for 11 tries.

"It has been tough for the last four weeks but to score 50 points in a game shows that we must be doing something right," Hurricanes skipper Andrew Hore told reporters.

The first half was a helter-skelter affair as the two teams combined for seven tries in 40 minutes.

The home side opened the scoring in the second minute thanks to a penalty from fly half Sias Ebersohn but two minutes later the visitors breached their opposition's defence as left wing Hosea Gear slid over in the corner following a sweeping backline move.

The Cheetahs struck back almost immediately when scrum-half Sarel Pretorius sneaked over from close range for a converted try.

However, the New Zealanders regained the lead when flank Jack Lam broke free five metres from the Cheetahs' line to canter over untouched for a converted try.

The Cheetahs edged back in front in the 17th minute when an incisive break from fullback Riaan Viljoen led to left wing Riaan Smit scoring a debut try.

The Hurricanes then seemed to take control with two tries, through full-back Andre Taylor and right wing Alapati Leiua, which took the visitors into a 27-17 lead after 25 minutes.

The hosts struck back again, first through an Ebersohn penalty and then a second try from Pretorius which drew the scores level at 27-27.

In the last three minutes before the interval, Ebersohn succeeded with two drop goals while Hurricanes fly half Daniel Kirkpatrick wrapped up the scoring in a breathless first half with a penalty.

The second half began more sedately and Gear opened the scoring in the 50th minute by claiming his second try of the night as he shrugged off three attempted tackles on his way to the tryline.

Gear's effort brought alive the two teams and Smit grabbed his second try after intercepting a loose pass on the halfway line as the home side edged into a 40-37 lead.

But Kirkpatrick nailed two penalties as the Hurricanes took the lead once again as the match moved into the final quarter.

With 14 minutes left Pretorius nipped over to complete his hat-trick to take his season's tally of tries to six.

But Thrush broke the home fan's hearts with his late heroics.

Hurricanes: 50 (H Gear 2, J Lam, A Taylor, A Leiua, J Thrush tries; D Kirkpatrick 4, B Barrett cons; D Kirkpatrick 3 pens)

Cheetahs: 47 (S Pretorious 3, Riaan Smit 2 tries; S Ebersohn 5 conversions, 2 pens, 2 drop goals)

- Reuters

First posted April 17, 2011 07:19:00

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