Riaan Smit – praag.org

Free State Cheetahs captain Boom Prinsloo praised his side for playing the full 80 minutes to beat the Golden Lions 26-23 in their Currie Cup game in the Free State stadium in Bloemfontein on Friday.

The hosts are now second on the logm pending the results of Saturday’s other Currie Cup games between Griquas and the Sharks and the Blue Bulls and Western Province, but for the time being eighth-man Prinsloo,is relieved that his team stood their ground for victory.

The Cheetahs nearly squandered a half time lead of 23-3 and gave the Lions ample chance to make a come back, with a penalty by Cheetahs winger Riaan Smit the only difference.

“We made it very difficult for ourselves in the second half, but I am glad that the guys kept their cool and did not lose their concentration. In the end we finished well,” said Prinsloo.

“This Lions team never gives up. Credit must go to my team mates for playing untill the final whistle. I am really proud of the effort they put in.”

The Cheetahs looked impressive in the line outs, but struggled in the scrums with Lions Springbok front rower CJ van der Linde an important factor.

“Our lineouts improved a lot since last week after we worked hard on it in our preparation, but our scrums weren’t up to scratch. We are still struggling a bit with the timing and the new calls, but we need to rectify that this coming week,” Prinsloo added.

“Next week we play the Sharks. It is always tough to travel to Durban. But if we can build on the momentum we now have after beating the Lions we can not only beat the Sharks in their own back yard, but really finish well this season,” Prinsloo added.

The Lions followed their lacklustre performance in the first half with a stellar 40 minutes in the second, but in the end good tries by winger Anthony Volmink and replacement full back Ruan Nel were not enough to see the visitors travel back to Johannesburg with a win.

“We struggled to get into our rhythm in the first half and made it very difficult for ourselves. The guys really pitched in the second half, but we can’t just play rugby in the second 40 minutes, we have to play the full game, something we did not do against the Cheetahs. It is really something we need to work on,” Lions flanker and captain Derick Minnie said. – Sapa

Cheetahs five-eighth Riaan Smit hit the post with a conversion attempt after the siren to give the Brumbies a 15-13 win in their Super Rugby qualifying final in Canberra.

While the Cheetahs scored the only two tries of the match, the Brumbies dominated the kicking duel and were amply rewarded with prime territory throughout the game.

The Brumbies had the lion’s share of the possession in the first half, yet the Cheetahs’ trademark scrambling defence proved up to the task.

A hotly contested breakdown battle also stilted momentum for both teams, referee Glenn Jackson warning both captains to clean up their sides’ acts midway through the second half.

The Cheetahs were seven points down when replacement Ryno Benjamin crossed in the left corner in the final minute to give Smit a chance to send the game into extra time.

But the kick hit the left post and the Brumbies escaped with the narrow victory to book a semi-final against the Bulls in Pretoria early next Sunday morning (AEST).

While the home side arguably had the rub of the green on scrum penalty decisions from Jackson in the first half, Brumbies loose-head prop Scott Sio was clearly dominant in the second half.

Man-of-the-match George Smith was also outstanding for the Brumbies, his presence at the breakdown a constant thorn in the side of the Cheetahs.

The Brumbies were rewarded for a blitzing start with an early penalty goal, but the Cheetahs hit back in the 16th minute when their first attacking set-piece yielded a try to outside centre Johann Sadie.

Sharp-shooting goal-kicker Christian Lealiifano then uncharacteristically missed two penalty shots before finding his range again to give the Brumbies a 6-5 lead at the break.

The Cheetahs drew first blood after the break with a penalty goal to Smit, but the Brumbies hit back with three of their own to gain the seven-point lead which would eventually help them hold on for victory. – AP

Tag: Riaan Smit

Cheetahs played full 80 minutes to win: Prinsloo

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