The Cheetahs beat the Bulls 31-27 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, while in Cape Town a spirited Western Province team hammered the Sharks 44-5.

This ensured that the Cheetahs will face the Bulls again on Saturday in Bloemfontein, but this time in the semi-finals.

While the Cheetahs played against 14 men on Saturday for the majority of the match, they did fight back from going down 19-0 in the opening 15 minutes.

The one man advantage did help the Cheetahs, however, the debatable officiating of the referee AJ Jacobs did make life a lot harder on the field for the visitors.

The Cheetahs crossed the whitewash on four occasions with David Brits, Daniel Kasende, Siya Masuku and Rewan Kruger all ensuring the bonus point.

Masuku had a simply outstanding day at Loftus Versfeld with the flyhalf also landing four conversions and a penalty for a tally of 16 points on the day.

The Bulls points came via a brace of tries by the former Cheetah and Springbok winger Cornal Hendricks, while Harold Vorster and Embrose Papier also dotted down. Morné Steyn, who along with Bismarck du Plessis, played their last home games at Loftus Versfeld for the Bulls, was successful with two conversions and two penalties.

Next week Saturday’s Currie Cup semi-final between the Cheetahs and the Bulls at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein is set to kick-off at 15:00.

Scorers:

Bulls: Cornal Hendricks 2, Harold Vorster, Embrose Papier Conv. – Morné Steyn 2 Pen. – Steyn 2

Cheetahs: David Brits, Dan Kasende, Siya Masuku, Rewan Kruger Conv. – Siya Masuku 4 Pen. - Masuku

Morgan Piek OFM Sport