Play of the Week: ‘Specmagic’ lit up Cape Town Stadium

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In a new segment by SARugbymag.co.za, the Play of the Week award goes to Cheetahs wing Rosko Specman for his stunning individual try against the Stormers in the preparation series.

The Cheetahs outlasted their hosts to clinch a thrilling 34-33 win at Cape Town Stadium and, as so many times before, Specman was the hero for the winning team.

Now, context is key and it’s important to note that Specman had a rather inglorious moment prior to his three-try feat, when wing Edwill van der Merwe savagely sent him bouncing backwards during an attempted tackle in the lead-up to the Stormers’ opening try.

But the 31-year-old flyer was not deterred and went on to score a hat-trick to guide the Cheetahs to victory. And it was his second touchdown that left viewers in awe.

Taking the ball just inside the Cheetahs’ half of the field, Specman danced his way through the heart of the Stormers defence with deft stepping, reducing would-be tacklers to bystanders in the process.

Latching on to a pass from his scrumhalf, Specman broke the line by slipping through a gap in between Stormers duo Scarra Ntubeni and David Meihuizen, before putting Tristan Leyds on his backside with a step on his outside followed by a step to his inside to yet again evade a retreating Meihuizen and then, finally, throwing a dummy to wrong-foot Kade Wolhuter before scuttling away to score unopposed.

It was an exquisite sequence of play, but in a way also the high standard of quality one has become accustomed to when watching Specman his weave his magic.

Photo: Gallo Images

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Mariette Adams