The Toyota Cheetahs gave themselves a decent shot to host a Currie Cup final as they downed the 14-man Vodacom Bulls 31-27 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday to spoil the farewell to both Morne Steyn and Bismarck du Plessis.
But despite being a man up for more than 40 minutes, the Cheetahs were struggling to hold on at the end and just managed to eke out the victory and take the five points on offer.
The Bulls won’t be too disappointed - apart from the brave second-half display with a man disadvantage when Elrigh Louw was red carded, they finished the stronger side, and got two points through a try bonus point, finishing within seven to put themselves into the semifinals.
The Bulls needed at least one point to qualify, and got two, meaning they will finish fourth and face whoever finishes top in the semifinals next weekend.
While the match was a dramatic game filled with spills and thrills, it was robbed of what could have been one of the Currie Cup classics when Louw was dispatched.
And while he did himself no favours with a cleanout that tucked the shoulder and made contact with the head of the defender, it was rather apparent how referee AJ Jacobs initially thought it was only a yellow card and a low level of danger but was persuaded by the television ref Amy Barrett.
The distinction seemed very officious as Jacobs' assessment looked to be correct, but it is hard to technically argue with the TMO either, underlining one of the problems with head contact at the moment and who should take the final decision.
Eventually, it didn’t hurt what was an exceptional game, and added drama to the contest. But it did dampen a flowing game where both sides were going toe to toe, and had it devolve more into a scrap, which the Cheetahs' defence eventually won.
For the purist, the breakdown was a mess, and it wasn’t surprising that neither side got ascendancy, especially with the mismatch in personnel.
After all the game had started at a frantic pace, especially with the Bulls racing to a 19-0 lead, and the Cheetahs counter-punching with two tries before the red card.
It was play that made the Currie Cup special, enterprising attacking play that saw the best of both sides and after the red card, the game hardly lived up to the level of the opening half hour.
In a way, that is understandable as one side does damage control, and the other tries to exploit the advantage. But it was a reminder of how much influence cards play in the modern game.
The Bulls had started off exceptionally well with Cornal Hendricks dotting down in the corner before David Kriel pounced on a loose pass to put Harold Vorster away for the second try.
But it was the Bulls’ third that was a real gem. A beauty of a short pass to Embrose Papier saw him weave through three players and put the afterburners on to score a superb try and remind all that are watching that he is in superb form at the moment.
At 19-0, it looked like the perfect farewell for Steyn, even though he missed two early kicks and didn’t dominate as we all know he can.
The Cheetahs, of course, weren’t going to be outdone and Dawid Brits opened the scoring by going over from close range early on before Daniel Kasende’s free-ranging skills took him over the tryline.
At 19-14, Louw tucked his shoulder and saw red, and the game changed in totality.
Steyn opened the second half with a penalty before Siya Masuku scored an incredible individual try, beating the first line of defence to weave his way to the tryline.
The Cheetahs took the lead shortly afterwards when Rewan Kruger went over from closer range and it looked as if the Cheetahs may well run away with the game.
Cornal Hendricks gave the Bulls hope as he latched onto replacement flyhalf Chris Smith’s crosskick to score in the corner.
But Masuku’s penalty gave some daylight to the scoreline and try as the Bulls might, they couldn’t break the Cheetahs’ defence.
SCORERS
VODACOM BULLS - tries: Cornal Hendricks (2), Harold Vorster, Embrose Papiier. Conversions: Morne Steyn (2). Penalty: Steyn.
TOYOTA CHEETAHS - tries: Dawid Brits, Daniel Kasende, Siya Masuku, Rewan Kruger. Conversions: Masuku (4). Penalty: Masuku.