Cheetahs lift Currie Cup

The Free State Cheetahs returned to their glory days, as they claimed a deserved 31-28 win over the Golden Lions in Saturday's Currie Cup final at the Free State Stadium. For those with a good memory, they will recall that it was the Cheetahs who claimed domestic success in 2007, the year that the Boks also went on to clinch the World Cup title for the second time. South African rugby fans will hope it is another good omen, as the 2019 Japan World Cup will soon get underway. But for the Cheetahs, their only thoughts will be to celebrate this result. In a highly competitive Currie Cup competition this season, it was particularly difficult to ascertain which team was the out-and-out favourites to emerge as winners. However, it was the Cheetahs who have emerged as consistently the most impressive side; and again on Saturday, they were largely in a class of their own. The fact of the matter is that this Currie Cup final was won and lost in the first half. It was during the opening 40 minutes that the hosts raced into a 31-7 lead, and from there it was always going to be a massive task for the Lions to mount any sort of meaningful comeback. For the Cheetahs, it was again veteran scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar who pulled the strings masterfully, while powerful prop Ox Nche enjoyed a solid game upfront. For the Lions, the only real joy came late in the game when they scored two quick tries in the final 10 minutes, and suddenly reduced the deficit to 10 points with a few minutes to play. In fact, a try to the Lions, via James Venter, after the hooter ensured the scoreline would look extremely flattering, but there was just not enough time for the visitors to launch one last attack. The Cheetahs had done enough to rely on their first-half buffer to hold on for the victory, despite going scoreless in the second half.NAMPA/ANA

Cheetahs lift Currie Cup

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Cheetahs lift Currie Cup

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