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Cheetahs stun Sharks

Durban - In an ill-tempered match which at times almost reached boiling point, the Cheetahs shocked the Sharks in the dying seconds to beat them 23-21 in their Absa Currie Cup semifinal in Durban on Saturday.
   
VIDEO: Match Highlights

GALLERY: The match in pictures

The standout player was undoubtedly Cheetahs flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter who scored the winning drop goal on the stroke of full-time, with the Sharks desperately defending their one-point lead. He also scored one of the visitors' two tries, and ended up with 18 of the Cheetahs' 23 points.

"We can exactly pinpoint where it went wrong, but well done to the Cheetahs, they played well," said Sharks captain Stefan Terblanche.

The Cheetahs, who were the underdogs against a Springbok-laden Sharks outfit, have now qualified for the final having just sneaked into the semis.

Referee Marius Jonker wasn't a popular figure with the spectators and was booed for heavily penalising the home team at the breakdowns, but the constant pressure applied by an excellent Cheetahs pack of forwards eventually silenced the passionate home support.

The hosts held a commanding 15-3 lead at halftime and three minutes after the break Sharks flyhalf Juan Hernandez struck a drop goal to increase the lead to 18-6, but then the Cheetahs fought back, scoring 14 unanswered points in quick succession to surge into a 20-18 lead with 20 minutes left on the clock.

Two tries - by prop WP Nel in the 45th minute and an intercept try by Potgieter 14 minutes later - saw the visitors take a surprising two-point lead before a penalty from Pienaar put the home team back in front by 21-20.

The stage was set for a hero, and Potgieter obliged.

With Potgieter kicking off, it was the visitors who applied the early pressure and after flank Heinrich Brussow turned over two early balls, Sharks lock Johann Muller was penalised by Jonker.

Potgieter made no mistake as they took a 3-0 lead.

Three minutes later Cheetahs No 8 Ashley Johnson was stopped metres short of the Sharks goalline, but it was the Sharks who turned over the lineout possession.
They attacked from deep inside their own half and wing Odwa Ndungane chipped the ball forward for Terblanche to pounce and score the first try of the semifinal in the tenth minute. Scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar missed the conversion and the Sharks were 5-3 ahead.

There was huge interest in the build-up to the game concerning the big scrum contest and after 15 minutes the first scrum advantage went the Cheetahs' way with prop WP Nel putting huge pressure on Beast Mtawarira, resulting in the home team being penalised.

The Cheetahs started to gain the ascendancy at the breakdowns but unfortunately for them Potgieter missed vital penalties in the 18th and the 22nd minutes.
In the 37th minute Pienaar stretched the Sharks' lead to 8-3 with his first successful kick of the game from a penalty.

The Sharks scored their second try on the stroke of halftime after a brilliant run by left wing JP Pietersen, who put flank Jacques Botes in possession, who in turn tossed a long pass in-field to an unmarked Pienaar, who went over for a spectacular try. Pienaar converted himself and the Sharks took a healthy 15-3 lead at the break. But a fightback from the visitors in the second half earned them a place in the final.

The Cheetahs made a late change to their side shortly before kickoff with Danwel Demas, who accompanied the team to Durban, replacing Jongi Nokwe on the left wing. Nokwe withdrew due to a hamstring injury.

Scorers

Sharks: Tries - Stefan Terblanche, Ruan Pienaar. Conversion - Pienaar. Penalties - Pienaar (2). Drop goal - Juan Hernandez

Cheetahs: Tries - WP Nel, Jacques-Louis Potgieter. Conversions -Potgieter (2). Penalties - Potgieter (2). Drop goal - Potgieter

Teams

Sharks: Stefan Terblanche (captain), Odwa Ndungane, Adrian Jacobs, Riaan Swanepoel, JP Pietersen, Juan Hernandez, Ruan Pienaar, Ryan Kankowski, Jean Deysel, Jacques Botes, Johann Muller, Steven Sykes, John Smit, Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira.

Replacements: Craig Burden, Jannie du Plessis, Albert van den Berg, Keegan Daniel, Rory Kockott, Monty Dumond, Andries Strauss.

Cheetahs: Hennie Daniller, Lionel Mapoe, Corn Uys, Meyer Bosman, Jongi Nokwe, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, JP Joubert Ashley Johnson, Frans Viljoen, Heinrich Brussow, David de Villiers, Nico Breedt (capt.), WP Nel Richardt Strauss, Wian du Preez.

Replacements: Coenie Oosthuizen, Izak van der Westhuizen, Hendro Scholtz, Kabamba Floors, Tewis de Bruyn, Louis Strydom, Fabian Juries.
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