The winless Free State Cheetahs overcame the overwhelming pre-match odds to deservedly beat the Blue Bulls 24-15 in a Currie Cup match in Bloemfontein on Friday night and, in doing so, scored three good tries to none.
The victory was built on a solid performance by the home side pack and some excellent tactical play by the former Blue Bulls scrumhalf JP Joubert who controlled the game and used the forward dominance of his pack well.
Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke's pre-match respect for the Free State side's forwards was well-founded. Their physical approach to the breakdown, in particular, seemed to unsettle the Blue Bulls in the first quarter - and with the Free State's good scrum giving as good as they got the home side also put pressure on the Bulls in this facet.
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The brief turnabout by the Blue Bulls before the break was not enough to deny the home side who dominated territory and possession after the break and ran in three good tries to clinch their first win.
The Blue Bulls were under the cosh for a little more than the first quarter, but the scoreboard was on their side as Free State flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter struggled to find the target with his penalty attempts and left his side with a mere drop for their three points at the break when the Blue Bulls led 12-3.
Slowly the visitors regained the upper hand after 30 minutes or so, aided by some good work from Deon Stegmann and centre Stefan Watermeyer with two good runs. Pedrie Wannenburg's presence and experience were also noticeable in the tight loose where the Cheetahs' tight five played as a unit.
The first try of the match, however, came from Man of the Match, Free State prop WP Nel, in the 48th minute, following some excellent work from the two Springboks Kabamba Floors and Jongi Nokwe.
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