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Damian Willemse (left) and Rosko Specman (Rooster)
Western Province took a significant step towards a home Currie Cup semifinal with a 31-29 win the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED | Cheetahs 29-31 WP
The victory brought the Capetonians back to second place on the record, at the point level with the Bulls, with only one game left for them in the free-for-all stages of the competition.
If WP beat the Sharks in Newlands next weekend, they will be sure to be back in their homeland for a semi-final.
Meanwhile, the Cheetahs have now been eliminated from the competition in the most heartbreaking way.
The hosts had come back from a 23-9 deficit to go 26-23 up, and held a 29-28 lead when WP was awarded a penalty with what would be the last kick of the game.
WP flyhalf Tim Swiel was the hero, knocking down a difficult goal for an individual 21-point shot on the night and, more importantly, a crucial last-gasp win for his team.
Frans Steyn was excellent for the Cheetahs once again, kicking 19 points on the day and a couple of goals from long range.
Scoring in the first half of the game was a story of the two kickers as Swiel and Steyn found their range from the kicking tee.
Swiel scored four penalties while Steyn converted three of his own as WP took a 12-9 lead on the scoreboard after 38 minutes.
It was the visitors who got the first try of the game when wing Jaco Coetzee crashed into stoppage time in the first half and Province took a 17-9 lead at halftime.
Swiel added two more penalties early in the second half as WP appeared to be in control of proceedings with a 23-9 lead after 54 minutes.
The Cheetahs, however, launched an excellent comeback by scoring two attempts within five of each other.
First, wing Wilmar Arnoldi scored after a powerful maul before wing Rosko Specman came in from under the posts almost immediately after the restart.
Steyn made both attempts and then added another penalty as the Cheetahs took a 26-23 lead in the final 15 minutes of the game.
Province then regained the lead in the 68th minute as they had a powerful maul of their own before Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi went over for a five-point.
Swiel’s conversion attempt went off track and it looked like that mistake would be costly as Steyn scored another penalty to give the Cheetahs a 29-28 lead with four minutes to go.
However, Province had the final say as their scrum, which had been dominant throughout the game, won a penalty and Swiel became her team’s hero with the final kick on the horn.
Scorers:
Cheetahs 29 (9)
Attempts: Wilmar Arnoldi, Rosko Specman
Conversions: Frans Steyn (2)
Penalties: Steyn (4)
WP 31 (17)
Attempts: Jaco Coetzee, Bongi Mbonambi
Penalties: Tim Swiel (7)
