The narrow win has seen the Cheetahs increase their slight chance of qualifying for the Currie Cup semi-finals, but wins against the Pumas in Nelspruit and Bulls in Pretoria will be imperative.

The Cheetahs raced to a 12-3 lead thanks to tries by David Brits and Craig Barry before the Peacock Blues closed the gap through a George Whitehead try.

The Cheetahs struck back minutes later when the hooker, Marnus van der Merwe, pounced on a loose ball from a scrappy Griquas lineout.

A flurry of tries by Chris Hollis, James Verity-Amm, and Hanru Sirgel saw the visitors from the Northern Cape take a 29-19 lead at the halftime break.

It took 24-minutes for the opening score of the second half, with the Griquas flyhalf, Whitehead, who slotted a penalty.

The turning point in the game came straight after when the Cheetahs prop, Beertjie van Vuuren, capitalised on a mistake at the kick-off by the Griquas. Van Vuuren also pounced on a loose ball and headed straight for the tryline.

The flanker, Junior Pokomela, managed to round off a well-worked team try for the Cheetahs to hand them the lead in the 69th minute, and this also proved to be the winning score.

The Cheetahs next match in the Currie Cup will be on Saturday when they face the Pumas in Nelspruit at 11:45.

Scorers:

Cheetahs: Tries – David Brits, Craig Barry, Marnus van der Merwe, Beertjie van Vuuren, Junior Pokomela Conv. – Ruan Pienaar 3

Griquas: Tries – George Whitehead, Chris Hollis, James Verity-Amm, Hanru Sirgel Conv. – George Whitehead 3  Pen. – Whitehead 2

@MorganPiek OFM Sport