The Cheetahs appeared to have the result wrapped up after racing into a 47-17 half-time lead. By the 52nd minute, the result looked beyond doubt as the Cheetahs were in the lead by 59-17. However, the Bulls produced a stunning revival after the break and closed the gap to just seven points before Tiaan Swanepoel’s late penalty settled the contest.

The victory saw the Cheetahs remain second on the log with 21 points, while the leaders, the Suzuki Griquas, are also on 21, but have a superior points difference. Both teams are in a position now that, should they win their respective games this week, they will secure home semi-finals.

The visitors made a blistering start when Michael Annies kicked ahead, regathered and scored after only two minutes, with Jaco van der Walt converting.

The Bulls hit back five minutes later through Riyaad Bam, who finished after Devon Williams created space with a long pass from a set-piece.

The Cheetahs regained control when Rewan Kruger found touch with a superb 50/22 kick. From the resulting lineout, Zander du Plessis powered over from close range, with Van der Walt adding the extras.

Prince Nkabinde then capitalised on some poor Bulls defence to score the Cheetahs’ third try, before Siphosethu Mnebelele responded for the hosts from a rolling maul. Annies grabbed his second try in the 23rd minute after collecting a clever offload from Du Plessis, securing the bonus point in the process.

The Bulls refused to surrender, and Kebotile Maake scored another maul try four minutes later. Nkabinde completed his brace shortly afterwards, while captain Neels Volschenk added another five-pointer.Cohen Jasper had the final say before half-time, finishing a counterattack in the corner as the Cheetahs took a commanding 30-point advantage into the break.

The visitors continued their onslaught after the restart. Du Plessis kicked a loose ball ahead on penalty advantage, allowing Jasper to collect and score. Victor Sekekete then crossed from a cleverly worked lineout move to push the Cheetahs beyond 60 points.

That, however, proved to be the turning point.

Marnus Rademeyer scored the Bulls’ bonus-point try before Brooklyn Newman crossed following another powerful run from Williams. The comeback gained further momentum when the Cheetahs were reduced to 14 men after Marko Janse van Rensburg received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle in the 67th minute, later upgraded to a 20-minute red card.

Tiaan Swanepoel. Photo: Morgan Piek

Annies was also yellow-carded in the 73rd minute for repeated team infringements, leaving the Cheetahs with only 13 players.

The Bulls exploited the numerical advantage as Nizaam Carr and Williams crossed within three minutes of each other. Newman then chipped ahead to put Rademeyer over for his second try, with Keagan Johannes converting to make it 62-55.

The Bulls launched one final attack in search of a dramatic draw. Their hopes ended when they conceded a penalty while on the offensive.

Swanepoel made no mistake from the tee, giving the Cheetahs a hard-earned victory and denying the Bulls a second log point.

Captain Neels Volschenk told OFM Sport throughout the game their defence wasn’t up to scratch, and this will need to improve drastically before they face Boland in Bloemfontein.

“I felt we started the game well with our attack. I don’t think our defence was good at any stage in the game, to be honest, and that obviously put us under pressure,” said Volschenk.

“I think we could see that two to three maul tries – that’s also something we’ll have to look at and improve on.

“Obviously, our defence and discipline let us down immensely today. I mean, at the end, we played with 13 men, and it doesn’t matter against who you play. If you’re going to play with 13 men on the field, it’s going to be tough to defend the other team.”

“We’re still chasing a full 80-minute performance. I mean, that’s more disappointing than anything else, that we couldn’t keep the standards we set in that first 40 to 50 minutes of the game till the end.

“It almost feels like a loss to us, considering where we were in the game and if you look at the scoreboard at a certain stage. But, yeah, it’s back to the drawing board for us.”

Sunday’s game between the Cheetahs and Boland at the Toyota Stadium will kick-off at 15:00.

Scorers:

Bulls: Tries - Riyaad Bam, Siphosethu Mnebelele, Kebotile Maake, Marnus Rademeyer 2, Keagan Johannes, Nizaam Carr, Devon Willims Conv. - Keagan Johannes 6

Cheetahs: Tries - Michael Annies 2, Zander du Plessis, Prince Nkabinde 2, Neels Volschenk, Cohen Jasper 2, Victor Sekekete  Conv. - Jaco van der Walt 7 Pen. - Tiaan Swanepoel

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek dg