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Tim Swiel, the western province midfielder, scored a penalty in the 81st minute for a thrilling 31-29 win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday. CRAIG LEWIS reports.
Going into this penultimate free-for-all game, Western Province had slipped to third place in the Currie Cup standings after the Lions beat the Pumas that same day.
For WP, it increased the importance of the victory to stay in line for a semifinal at home in Newlands, while the Cheetahs knew the loss would end their playoff hopes.
With all of this in mind, it looked like WP was heading for a comfortable victory when they led 23-9 after 55 minutes, but then came an impressive comeback from the Cheetahs.
Two quick attempts and Frans Steyn’s superb shot on goal rekindled the unshakable spirit of the home team, and heading into the dramatic final minutes, the Free State team held a one-point lead.
But throughout this game, Swiel had kicked superbly at goal, and when it mattered most, he stepped forward to set up an angled penalty after Province won a major scrum penalty.
The first half in particular had been a tense and physical affair, but it was also spoiled by a series of penalties when Swiel successfully converted four shots on goal for WP to take a 12-9 lead.
Once again, it was also Steyn’s booming boot that kept the Cheetahs in the game as he scored two kicks from long-range spot, but Province would land a crucial blow just before the break.
Yet another penalty was this time kicked into the corner, and from a well-worked starting line, Jaco Coetzee exploded to score and give the visitors a useful eight-point lead at the break.
In the opening exchanges of the second half, frustration and mistakes continued to mount on the part of the Cheetahs, as two more penalties were in kicking range for Swiel.
However, there was finally a chance of life for the hosts when hooker Wilmar Arnoldi jumped from the back of a maul after a period of prolonged pressure. That reduced the deficit to just seven points.
And then, just minutes later, sprinter Rosko Specman pounced to score under the posts, and in the blink of an eye, the scores were tied in the fourth quarter.
Steyn would then place a penalty to give the Cheetahs the lead for the first time in the game, but shortly after, a brain fade from fullback Clayton Blommetjies saw him concede a no-ball penalty.
WP kicked to the corner and scored through Bongi Mbonambi as they again headed for their trusty starting line.
However, the drama was far from over, as the Cheetahs earned a scrum penalty against the feed, with Steyn placing his fifth penalty to restore a narrow lead. That could have been the winner of the match, but it was Swiel who would have the last word.
Cheetahs – Attempts: Wilmar Arnoldi, Rosko Specman. Conversions: Frans Steyn (2). Penalties: Steyn (5).
WP – Attempts: Jaco Coetzee, Bongi Mbonambi. Penalties: Swiel (7).
Cheetahs – 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Rhyno Smith, 13 Dries Swanepoel, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Reinhardt Fortuin, 9 Ruben de Haas, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Andisa Ntsila, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Carl Wegner (c ), 3 Khutha Mchunu, 2 Wilmar Arnoldi, 1 Boan Venter.
Subs: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Erich de Jager, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Victor Sekekete, 20 Chris Massyn, 21 George Cronje, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Tian Meyer.
WP – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Tim Swiel, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Johan du Toit, 6 Jaco Coetzee, 5 David Meihuizen, 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Subs (de): 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Kwenzo Blose, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Ruhan Nel, 23 Tristan Leyds, 24 Leon Lyons, 25 Chad Solomon, 26 Ben- Jason Dixon.
Photo: Gallo Images
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