Cheetahs progress to Pro14 playoffs

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Niel Marais contributed 14 points as the Cheetahs beat the Kings 29-20 in Port Elizabeth on Saturday to book their place in the semi-final qualifiers of the Pro14. MARIETTE ADAMS reports.

The result settles the race for the third and final qualifier spot in Conference A, with the Cheetahs joining the Glasgow Warriors and Munster in the playoffs at the expense of the Cardiff Blues.

The Cheetahs – who defeated the Kings 45-21 and 45-24 in their previous two Pro14 derby clashes – came into this clash as favourites to win yet again and in the process advance to the playoffs.

But with their season on the line, there was a nervousness and tension in the Cheetahs’ ranks not yet seen so early in games this season. Buoyed by the opposition’s edginess and the will to sign off their own terrible season on a high, the Kings took full advantage during the early exchanges.

However, as expected, the Cheetahs calmed down and found their rhythm midway through the first half and from that point onwards they simply outmuscled the hosts.

Marais converted an early penalty for the Cheetahs, but the Kings scored 10 unanswered points – via a breakaway try by Ntabeni Dukisa and a conversion and penalty from Masixole Banda.

A scrappy contest for a loose ball led to the Kings being pinged for playing it from an offside position. The Cheetahs set a lineout and from there Paul Schoeman drove over the line and Marais added the conversion to draw level.

Sloppy play on defence by the Cheetahs helped the Kings to easily work their way back into opposition territory and when the Cheetahs conceded a penalty, Banda’s accurate goal-kicking put the hosts back in front again.

In the last 10 minutes of the half, the Cheetahs pulled back the possession stats – which had been heavily stacked in the Kings’ favour – leading to two scoring opportunities from which the visitors scored. First, Marais went direct, shrugging off the feeble tackle attempt of Michael Makase, to score and then Uzair Cassiem walked over the tryline from the back of a dominant attacking scrum.

Trailing 22-13 as the second half commenced, the Kings surprisingly stayed in the fight.

The breakdown disintegrated into a messy free-for-all, as neither side seemed capable of seizing control. But the Kings were quickest to adjust to the disorganisation and unstructured form the game morphed into.

After they stormed into the 22, Jacques Nel carried the ball up strongly to set up Harlon Klaasen for a converted try.

Having their lead reduced to two didn’t sit well with the Cheetahs’ coaching staff and led to the introduction of Johan Goosen in the 48th minute, with Marais shifting to inside centre and Clinton Swart going off.

Goosen immediately injected some pace into the Cheetahs’ attack and four minutes after he came on, captain Francois Venter scored a converted try to re-establish their nine-point lead.

Apart from the Cheetahs’ scrum dominance, there was little else separating the sides as the final quarter turned into a dull affair littered with errors. Fortunately for the Cheetahs, they had already done enough to win the game and keep their season alive.

Kings – Tries: Ntabeni Dukisa, Harlon Klaasen. Conversions: Masixole Banda (2). Penalty: Banda (2).
Cheetahs – Tries: Paul Schoeman, Niel Marais, Uzair Cassiem, Francois Venter. Conversions: Niel Marais (3). Penalty: Marais.

Kings – 15 Yaw Penxe, 14 Michael Makase, 13 Jacques Nel (c), 12 Ntabeni Dukisa, 11 Harlon Klaasen, 10 Masixole Banda, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Dries van Schalkwyk, 7 Martinus Burger, 6 Khaya Majola, 5 Bobby de Wee, 4 Stephan Greeff, 3 Rossouw de Klerk, 2 Stephan Coetzee, 1 Justin Forwood.
Subs: 16 Tango Balekile, 17 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 18 Luvuyo Pupuma, 19 Lindo Welemu, 20 Giant Mtyanda, 21 Lusanda Badiyana, 22 JP Smith, 23 JC Roos.

Cheetahs – 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Francois Venter (c), 12 Clinton Swart, 11 Sibahle Maxwane, 10 Niel Marais, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Uzair Cassiem, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Paul Schoeman, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Ox Nche.
Subs: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Tom Botha, 19 Rynier Bernardo, 20 Henco Venter, 21 Zee Mkhabela, 22 Johan Goosen, 23 Lloyd Greeff.

Photo: Michael Sheehan/Gallo Images

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Mariette Adams