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Missed tackles cost Cheetahs

Although one win and one loss was in a derby, it generally wasn't a good weekend for South Africa's five Super 14 franchises, with only the Bulls and the Sharks staying on track with victories.

While the Bulls still top the log and Sharks are third, three South African franchises are - all too familiarly - in the last five places on the log.

One couldn't really call the Sharks' 22-17 over winless Chiefs lucky, but there must be alarm bells in the Durbanites' camp after they were pushed to the hilt in Hamilton by one of the bottom sides in the competition. That is a timely warning their remaining matches in Australasia will be as difficult.

It was a match where Francois Steyn - so often the man whose impetuous actions, sometimes sloppy handling and penchant for clinging to the ball have let him and his side down - looked a class act. That was except for the late break from two metres from his own line when he should have kicked and conceded a free kick to keep the Chiefs in attack.

In the end it was the Sharks defence that won them the match against a Chiefs side that were at least their equal in the scrums and better in the loose where they got the better and bigger share of possession.

The visitors' kicking, increasingly proving to be so necessary under the ELVs, was also better than that of the Chiefs, but the home side's scrumhalf, Brendon Leonard, did enough to keep the Sharks occupied and the Chiefs on attack throughout with his breaks and varied play to make this a very close one.

Total command

The Bulls forwards were impressive in the first half against the Lions in a match where only one try was scored - by the Bulls' Pierre Spies. The Bulls were scoreless in the second half to win 16-9 after a 16-0 lead at halftime.

It is the third time in three matches the Bulls had let their foot off the accelerator after being in total command at the break and is something that needs attention with some major matches ahead.

Outstanding for the Bulls was flyhalf Morne Steyn, who played the ELVs and the Bulls pattern to a tee. His high kicks, rolling kicks, tactical kicks and general play were outstanding and he probably deserved the Man of the Match award as much as Bakkies Botha, who was outstanding in a very good first-half pack.

Andre Pretorius made a good starting comeback for the Lions who made too many mistakes in the first half but were the better side after the break.

But for a high tackle by flyhalf Earl Rose in the 72nd minute for which he was sin-binned, they might have salvaged a draw as their backs were running the Bulls ragged in especially the last quarter.

The Stormers were again their own enemies as they squandered opportunities through especially poor handling but also some poor options in going down 14-8 to the Blues at Newlands.

Missed tackles

One of the pre-tournament favourites, the Stormers now have only one win from three home matches, and their play-off dreams hang on a very thin thread.

It was a nail-biter on the scoreboard, but little happened on the field where Isaia Toeava and Anthony Tuitavake continually posed a threat and Stormers captain Jean de Villiers was outstanding.

A lack of cohesion, with many individual efforts negating promising play, and poor scrumming cost the Stormers, as did the lack of numbers to the breakdown.

The Cheetahs looked a tired team from the run-on in heat of 35 degrees, and had little ball to play with against the Reds side that looked a confident outfit form the word go.

The Reds went on from where they left off against the Stormers last week end and rand the Cheetahs ragged in their 22-3 win which should have been much higher but for the many handling errors - possibly brought on by the humidity.

Against a side with a surfeit of possession and set on running, the Cheetahs contribute to their own downfall with 22 missed tackles.

It could become a long season for the Crusaders, who went down to the 30-24 to the Hurricanes. The defending champions have now won only one of their three matches and looked a hesitant, disjointed outfit against the Hurricanes who, for the first time this season, looked the formidable outfit they are on paper.

It was their first win over Crusaders in their last seven encounters.

The Western Force caused the weekend's surprise when they handed unbeaten Brumbies their first defeat. They won 25-16 in Canberra.

Cameron Shepherd scored three tries and deserved to with the way he regularly beat his man and also other defenders in this match where the Force took the ball wide whenever they could.

Mistakes cost the Brumbies this match they dominated in the rucks and where they scrummed well.

The Waratahs kept on their winning ways with a convincing four-try 34-16 win over the Highlanders in Sydney. Their win is the result of good backline play while the Highlanders - still without a win - will have to work on the many errors they made in this game.

The Waratahs' bonus point came in the last minute of the match, and gives them as share of the log lead with 14 points from a possible 15 after three matches.

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