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Cheetahs storm the summit

Friday 22nd August 2008

The Cheetahs are back at the top of the Currie Cup standings after a bonus-point 38-28 win over the Lions at Ellis Park on Friday.

It's been five years since the Lions have beaten the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup and they seldom looked like breaking the hoodoo. It now looks less and less likely that Johannesburg will host a home semi-final.

Springbok Chris Rossouw opened the scoring with a third-minute penalty and he and Earl Rose swapped two kicks each until the 30th minute when the try deadlock was broken.

Lions scrum-half Jano Vermaak was yellow-carded for a spear tackle and the Cheetahs opted to kick to touch.

Lock David de Villiers scored two minutes later, taking a neat inside pass near the line. The Cheetahs enjoyed a 10-point advantage at the break after a third Rossouw penalty made the score 16-6.

The Lions competed on level footing with Vermaak back on the field after the break and Rose kicked his third penalty, but Hendro Scholtz sprinted home to give his team a seemingly unassailable 26-9 lead five minutes into the second half.

Seven minutes later Rose sent Rayno Benjamin away for the first of his two tries to close the gap to 10 points and in the 60th minute Rose scored himself after big Willem Alberts chipped and collected to set up the try. Suddenly there were only three points in it and a Lions fightback seemed on the cards.

But Cheetahs reserve centre JW Jonker was sent away by Tewis de Bruyn as the Lions' energy dissipated, and reserve scrum-half Neil Powell sniped right through the middle to stretch the lead to 15 points at 38-23 shortly before the end.

Benjamin scored a consolation try in the 80th minute to give the Lions score some respectability.

The scorers:

For the Lions:
Tries: Benjamin 2, Rose
Cons: Rose 2
Pens: Rose 2
Drop goal: Rose

For the Cheetahs:
Tries: De Villiers, Scholtz, Jonker, Powell
Cons: Rossouw 2, De Bruyn
Pens: Rossouw 4

Yellow card: Jano Vermaak (Lions, 30, spear tackle)

Lions: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Michael Killian, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Rayno Benjamin, 10 Earl Rose, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Franco van der Merwe, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Gerhard Mostert, 4 Anton van Zyl, 3 Lawrence Sephaka, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Heinke van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Ethienne Reynecke, 17 Ross Geldenhuys, 18 Ernst Joubert, 19 Justin Wheeler, 20 Chris Jonck, 21 Louis Strydom, 22 Jaco van Schalkwyk.

The Cheetahs: 15 Bevin Fortuin, 14 Wilton Pietersen, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Fabian Juries, 10 Chris Rossouw, 9 Tewis de Bruyn, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Kabamba Floors, 6 Hendro Scholtz (captain), 5 Barend Pieterse, 4 David de Villiers, 3 Kobus Calldo, 2 Richard Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Riaan Kruger, 17 Phillip Lemmer, 18 Flip van der Merwe/Nico Breedt, 19 Schalk van der Merwe, 20 Neil Powell, 21 JW Jonker, 22 Jacques-Louis Potgieter.

Referee: Marius Jonker
Touch judges: Francois Veldsman, Peet Badenhorst
TMO: Michael Cupido