The final minutes became similar to a football penalty shoot out as Peter Grant and Fred Zeilinga tried to get the three that would win it for their side.
The Cheetahs’ positive approach to the game was a marvel to watch. At half-time the score was 27-10 to the home side with only one penalty to speak about.
The Cheetahs intent to play attacking rugby was clear in the half-time statistics. They seemed to break the Force’s line at will as they had nine clean breaks in just the first-half to the Force’s three, they beat 17 defenders, and the most indicative number of them all was the Cheetahs making 88 passes to the Force’s poultry 39.
The Western Force were the first to open their score board accounts as Ox Nche put in a crunching, high tackle on Jono Lance and the Force won the penalty for Prior to kick over.
The Force’s handling errors became a problem after Clayton Blommetjies kicked it down field, and instead of Lance collecting neatly he knocked the ball into touch giving the Cheetahs a line out on the Force 22 metre line.
The Cheetahs then attacked off the lineout, Sergeal Petersen got the ball on the blindside who grubbered it forward but again a Force player knocked the ball over the dead ball line. Off the five metre scrum the Cheetahs pulled off a wonderful set move which almost saw Petersen go over, but he was stopped just short. Paul Schoeman picked it up from the back of the ruck and dotted the ball down against the posts for the try.
The cheetahs’ forwards all played like they had ten on their back. They through the ball, effortlessly weaving off-loads and long passes together, until they swung it wide to Uzair Cassiem who dove over the line.
Around the 20th minute Wallaby Dane Haylett-Petty found masses of space after collecting a kick and sprinted down field. After some terrible Cheetahs defence, there was a two on one with Francois venter stuck in a defensive conundrum, the centre got sucked in before Kyle Godwin was passed the ball who scored an easy try on his 50th Super Rugby game.
The Cheetahs replied immediately, and after a Cheetahs set piece, Clayton Blommetjies got the ball in space, and squeezed himself through a gap and scored the try.
The Cheetahs then put themselves in bonus point territory just 30 minutes in after Uzair Cassiem broke the Force defence and sprinted 30 metres before off loading to Mohoje, who takes the ball in. With the Force defence spread, the Cheetahs swung the ball wide, Sergeal Petersen cut inside, got the ball on the switch and the young flyer scored.
After the first half things slowed down considerably.
After a quick line out Haylett-Petty, ran straight through the Cheetahs defence, and beat the cover defence
to score. The Force did well to deprive the Ceetahs of the ball so they could try and claw their way back into the game in the second half.
The Force’s defensive turn around started to pay dividends for them in the 60th minute, as Semisi Masirewa returned a kick as he gassed down field, before grubbering it forward for Haylett-Petty to score the try.
Peter Grant missed a kick in the dying minutes of the game from the 50 metre line to secure his side the win.
The scorers:
Toyota Cheetahs: Tries: Scoeman, Cassiem, Blommetjies, Petersen Cons: Zeilinga 2 Pens: Zeilinga.
Western Force: Tries: Godwin, Haylett-Petty 2 Cons: Prior Pens: Prior 2, Grant 2 – SA RUGBY
