A 78th-minute penalty by new Vodacom Blue Bulls recruit Boeta Chamberlain saved their unbeaten record as they battled to a thrilling 34-all draw against the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
The top-of-the-table Carling Currie Cup match did not disappoint as both sides slugged it out for 80 minutes, scoring eight tries between them and eventually settling for a draw that very much keeps both of their campaigns alive.
The Bulls continue to top the log with the three points they take from Bloemfontein but will be relieved as they gave up a 24-3 lead to be behind going into the last five minutes, and still haven’t won in the City of Roses since 2018.
The three log points away from home keep them three points ahead of the Cheetahs and unbeaten at the top of the log, while the Bloemfontein side will see this as a missed opportunity to go top but are still very much in the race.
Full-time: Toyota Cheetahs 34 - 34 Vodacom Bulls#CHEvBUL@ToyotaSA @TheCurrieCup pic.twitter.com/we1xIEeIfE
— Toyota Cheetahs (@CheetahsRugby) August 2, 2024
The Cheetahs thought they had won the game when hooker Vernon Paulo went over from the back of an excellent rolling maul in the 74th minute to retake the lead, but Chamberlain’s penalty had the final say.
Still, despite this there were several key moments in the game and some exceptional play that made this a top-class derby between the two sides and we shouldn’t be surprised if we see it repeated later on in the competition.
Aphiwe Dyantyi scored a brace for the Bulls while Springbok returnee Canan Moodie looked sharp and hungry for action, providing the scoring pass for Zak Burger’s try after he saw a gap and ghosted through it early in the second half.
It certainly was a game of two halves as the first saw both teams edgy, and struggling to get on top, feeling each other out and finding it difficult to come to terms with the interpretations of the referee.
DING-DONG BATTLE
The Bulls scored the first try just five minutes in when a Stravino Jacobs break, running the ball back from a poor clearance kick saw Nizaam Carr go over for the opening try.
Jaco van der Walt converted and added a penalty kick on the half hour before Ethan Wentzel got the Cheetahs on the board for a tame looking halftime scoreline of 10-3 to the visitors.
But in the second half it exploded as both sides threw caution to the wind and attacked with glee, first with the Bulls scoring through Burger when Moodie broke through and then through Dyantyi first - coming from a cross kick from Chamberlain, with a great take in the air by Jacobs, and an equally impressive one-handed take of the pass inside from Jacobs by Dyantyi to beat the defence and balloon the scoreline to 24-10 within minutes.
The Cheetahs though were not going to lie down and take a beating and their normal free-flowing play came to the fore as they found holes in a really brittle Bulls defence, aided by a string of penalties as the visitors' discipline went to pieces.
First it was man of the match Friedle Olivier, who took the last pass in a spectacular team try and then minutes later Cohen Jasper broke through and surged towards the line to bring the deficit within range.
Munier Hartzenberg beat two defenders to put the Cheetahs just two behind the Bulls and then Carl Wegner went over from a rolling maul to put them ahead.
The Bulls hit back with Dyantyi going over in the corner from a cross-kick again - this time from Van der Walt but then Paulo’s try continued the ding-dong battle and seemed to close it out for the home side.
That was, until a scrum penalty gave Chamberlain a chance, and the discarded Shark player took the moment to save the Bulls’ blushes and keep them unbeaten.
Tough fight in Bloem for the draw against @CheetahsRugby 🏆🏉
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) August 2, 2024
📸: Johan Pretorius pic.twitter.com/7cMn19yVtR
SCORERS
Toyota Cheetahs - tries: Friedle Olivier, Cohen Jasper, Munier Hartzenburg, Carl Wegner, Vernon Paulo. Conversions: Ethan Wentzel (2), Reinhardt Fortuin. Penalty: Wentzel.
Vodacom Bulls - tries: Nizaam Carr, Aphiwe Dyantyi (2), Zak Burger. Conversions: Jaco van der Walt (2), Boeta Chamberlain (2). Penalties: Van der Walt, Chamberlain.