Durban — The Pumas hung on by the skin of their teeth to prevail 29-28 over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein in a cracking Currie Cup game on Friday night that has had interesting ramifications on the points table, with the men from Nelspruit being rewarded with the crucial fourth spot on the log with one round of the competition to go.
The Cheetahs had a chance to steal the spoils a minute from time when Ruan Pienaar lined up a long-range penalty but his attempt drifted wide.
Pienaar’s team have now lost two in a row and after so long looking like they would finish top of the log, it now looks like the Bulls will secure the precious spot.
The Sharks are now in the fifth spot but have a chance to move up the log when they host the Lions on Saturday(5pm) and they will have to win and beat Western Province away next week to get a semi-final spot.
The Pumas were desperate for the win after having done everything but beat the Bulls the week before but they were up against a proud Cheetahs team that was stinging from a pasting at the hands of Griquas.
The Pumas opened the scoring after ten minutes when Devon Williams intercepted on the halfway line and the pacy fullback was never going to be caught in the race to the posts.
The home team soon replied when hooker Louis van der Westhuizen went over off the back of a maul.
At the half-hour mark, the 7-7 deadlock was brilliantly broken by Pumas flyhalf Tinus de Beer when he scooped up an overthrown Cheetahs lineout and jinked through a series of defenders to the posts.
And, incredibly, the Cheetahs seemed to have struck back in exactly the same way they had earlier in the half when Van der Westhuizen propelled himself over the line off a lineout maul, but the TMO ruled that there had been obstruction and disallowed the try.
That meant the Pumas led 14-7 at the break and they proceeded to score two minutes into the second half when a deft grubber through the defence into the in-goal area by centre Eddie Fouche was dotted down by Williams for his second try, and the Cheetahs were in trouble at 7-19.
They pulled back seven points when Gideon van der Merwe muscled over six minutes into the half.
After 11 minutes, the Pumas drove over from a lineout and the Cheetahs appealed that they had been obstructed but again the TMO ruled in favour of the Pumas, the try going to hooker Eddie Swart.
In a potentially pivotal moment in the game, Van der Merwe clashed heads with Pumas flank Phumzile Maqondwana and went off concussed and the latter was yellow-carded. From the resulting penalty, Van der Westhuizen this time nailed his second try and at 21-26 the Cheetahs were back in it.
However, Fouche was on target with a penalty as the game hit the three-quarter mark to stretch the lead to eight points but with seven minutes to go, a long sweeping pass by Ruan Pienaar put wing Daniel Kasende in at the corner and his touchline conversion made it a one-point game at 29-28.
The game wound up a dramatic climax when Pienaar had the chance to win it...
Scorers
Cheetahs 28 — Tries: Louis van der Westhuizen (2), Gideon van der Merwe, Daniel Kasende. Conversions: Ruan Pienaar (4)
Pumas 29 — Tries: Devon Williams (2), Tinus de Beer, Eddie Swart. Conversions: Eddie Fouche (3). Penalties: Fouche (2).
IOL Sport