news-engine

Pumas run riot against Cheetahs as Currie Cup semifinal is confirmed MATCH REPORT: The Pumas scored an emphatic 52-26 victory over the Cheetahs in Nelspruit on Saturday, but a bonus point to the Cheetahs helped the visitors move to the top of the Currie Cup log. The victory lifted the Pumas into third place. From the opening whistle, both teams showed their intent to play at a high tempo, and it was the Pumas who struck first when Sango Xamlashe spotted a gap in front of him and sprinted through untouched for the opening try. Early on, the Pumas were more clinical in their efforts while the Cheetahs were struggling to find their feet. After two power scrums, the home side found themselves in the red zone and their forwards drove over for the second try in the 11th minute and they were ahead 14-0. As the Cheetahs found their feet and started their attack, Darren Adonis went for an intercept but couldn’t get his hands on the ball and was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-down. This gave the visitors a perfect platform for a scoring opportunity. However, their efforts were not rewarded. Scrumhalf Faf de Klerk tried his best to get his team on the front foot, and it paid off. After a dink through by Jooste Nel, Carel-Jan Coetzee got over for his team’s first try. However, their celebrations were short-lived. The Pumas’ Andre Goedhals grabbed the hosts’ third try two minutes later to stretch their lead to 21-7 after the conversion. The Pumas scored their fourth try after some helter-skelter stuff after a pass by De Klerk was intercepted. Sango Xamlashe had the presence of mind to kick the ball through, Swanepoel couldn’t gather in the back, and Van Zyl grabbed his second five-pointer. The Cheetahs had the most territory in the first half (59%) as well as possession (51%) but failed to convert this into points. The second half started with a flurry of tries – first by the Cheetahs followed in quick succession by the hosts. With 30 minutes to go, the Pumas were in a commanding 33-14 lead. Swart powered through a strong run to knock Swanepoel to the ground, creating the opportunity for the try assist that sent De Klerk over for another score for the hosts. Swart was at the heart of the Pumas’ attack, controlling the game with the composure and authority of an experienced flyhalf, and the Cheetahs simply had no answers. The Cheetahs were crumbling under the pressure, not only in the scrums but also in the loose and line-outs. The Pumas were on such a high at this stage; they just stormed ahead, and Scheepers scored another power try, merely bashing his way through the defence. Then Pumas lost Adonis to a 20-minute red card after he made head contact in a tackle, and that being his second yellow card, it was an immediate red, and he would not see the end of the game. When Daniel Maartens crossed a few minutes later, the Cheetahs had a lot to play for. A fourth try would mean they overtake Griquas to claim the top spot in the standings. De Klerk converted to narrow the gap to 21-45. And that fourth bonus point did come, thanks to the speedster Michael Annies. De Klerk had looked razor sharp since moving to flyhalf as he managed to put his backline on the front foot and into the gaps. With a few minutes to go, Tino Swanepoel sent a clever dink through, and Ntsika Fisanti followed up beautifully to score, and the Pumas brought up the half century. The Pumas never stopped playing and made the visitors put their bodies on the line till the very last second. Despite playing with 14 men while Adonis served his 20-minute suspension, the Pumas made it look remarkably easy. The scorers: For Pumas: Tries: Sango, Van Zyl 2, Goedhals, Scheepers 2, De Klerk, Fisanti Cons: Swart 7 For Cheetahs: Tries: Coetzee, Venter, Maartens, Annies Cons: Swanepoel 2, De Klerk 2 Yellow card: Darren Adonis (Pumas; 18’ – deliberate knock-down) Red card: Darren Adonis (Pumas; 63’ – second yellow after head contact) Teams: Pumas XV: 15 Jaycee Nel, 14 Darren Adonis, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Banie Britz, 10 Clinton Swart, 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Andre Goedhals, 6 Thabo Ndimande, 5 Tiaan de Klerk, 4 JJ Scheepers, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Chyle van Zyl, 1 Zukisa Sali Replacements: 16 Gustav du Rand, 17 Etienne Janeke, 18 Junior Banda, 19 Stephan Krugel, 20 De Wet Marais, 21 Ntsika Fisanti, 22 Tino Swanepoel, 23 Russwill Fredericks Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Michael Annies, 13 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 12 Jooste Nel, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 Tiaan Swanepoel, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Neels Volschenk (captain), 7 Pierre Uys, 6 Sisonke Vumazonke, 5 Carl Wegner, 4 Arno van der Merwe, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Stefan Venter, 1 Dux Manyama Replacements: 16 Frankie Dos Reis, 17 Tielman Niewoudt, 18 John-Kelly Okonkwo, 19 Victor Sekekete, 20 Simon Miller, 21 Daniel Maartens, 22 Cohen Jasper, 23 Marco Jansen van Vuren Referee: Hanru van Rooyen Assistant Referees: Jonathan Lottering, Paul Mente TMO: Archie Moko Your home for rugby. Download the RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now! Follow your favourite teams, tournaments and players, and get personalised news and Match Centre notifications direct to your device. From live rugby streams and upcoming fixtures to breaking news, in-depth analysis and live scores, RugbyPass has everything you need to stay connected to the game.