The Cheetahs clinched a historic 24-20 victory, having led 14-7 at half-time.

Although Georgia didn't field a full-strength side, the Cheetahs showed plenty of grit and determination on defence. At times, they were lethal on the attack – none more so than debutant winger Ntokozo Makhaza, who crossed the whitewash for a brace of tries.

Ntokozo Makhaza. Photo: Morgan Piek

Makhaza, who was recently involved in a Springbok training camp, opened the scoring for the hosts after finishing off a brilliant counter-attack sparked by left-winger Banie Britz, who also had a standout performance.

Britz then doubled the Cheetahs’ lead by winning a footrace to the ball after a well-placed grubber by flyhalf Ethan Wentzel. Both tries were converted by fullback Cohen Jasper to give the home side a commanding 14-0 lead.

On the stroke of half-time, Georgia hit back when Shalva Aptsiauri scored their first try in the right-hand corner. Captain Tedo Abzhandadze slotted the conversion to reduce the deficit to 14-7 at the break.

Shortly after the restart, Aptsiauri intercepted a pass deep in Georgia’s 22 while the Cheetahs were on the attack, racing away for a converted try to level the scores.

The Cheetahs edged back into the lead through a Jasper penalty, but Abzhandadze responded with two penalties of his own to put Georgia 20-17 in front.

However, with only minutes remaining, Makhaza sealed the result with a sensational finish in the corner to complete his brace and score the match-winning try.

Banie Britz tackling Ilia Spanderashvili. Photo: Morgan Piek

Following the win, Cheetahs interim coach Ruan Pienaar told OFM Sport he was more than satisfied with the historic victory.

“We knew it was going to be a really tough challenge – I think the physicality was right up there and I thought the guys handled it well,” said Pienaar.

“Was it perfect? No. But I thought we handled the pressure well tonight. We’ve got a few young props and Makhaza making his debut, so I think we played really well overall.

“It was a big test for us and I thought the guys stood up in those pressure moments – even when we lost momentum at times. I’m really proud of the team.

“Like I said, it wasn’t perfect, but getting the win was really special. It was a good enough performance to get the job done.” Cheetahs captain Victor Sekekete said it was an emotional win and the team will take a lot of confidence from it moving forward.

Shalva Aptsiauri scoring his first try. Photo: Morgan Piek

“This win was emotional for us – it brought back so much desire, so much hunger,” said the towering lock.

“We always feel like we’re on the verge. Every time we get close to the top, we lose players. Every time we start building something, something else happens. But we’ve just kept our heads down and worked even harder.

“So for us, working hard despite all the setbacks is a huge positive. We’ve focused on ourselves, and I think that’s something we’re doing really well right now.”

Pierre Uys going in for a try-saving tackle on Ilia Spanderashvili. Photo: Morgan Piek

“We’re focusing on what we can control, doing it to the best of our abilities. If everyone gives 100%, then we can’t fault anyone – whether we win or lose.”

The Cheetahs will return to training for a few more days before enjoying a short break. They’ll then shift their focus to their Currie Cup opener against the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington on 27 July.

Scorers:

Cheetahs: Tries – Ntokozo Makhaza 2, Banie Britz Conv. – Cohen Jasper 2 Pen. – Jasper

Georgia: Tries – Shalva Aptsiauri 2 Conv. –Tedo Abzhandadze 2 Pen. – Abzhandadze 2

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg