The Free State Cheetahs clawed back from a first-half deficit to overcome Western Province in a thrilling Currie Cup encounter in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Province led 21-14 at half time thanks to three converted tries, but the Cheetahs overturned the visitors’ advantage with second-half scores from loose forward Daniel Maartens and Munier Hartzenberg to claim a 26-21 victory at Free State Stadium.
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Veteran Free State scrumhalf, Ruan Pienaar, was instrumental in the win, scoring 11 points and keeping the hosts on attack.
WP, on the other hand, were hampered by the loss of second-half replacements Chad Solomon and Adre Smith to yellow cards, and failed to match their intensity and ruthlessness on attack in the first 40 minutes.
Despite the setback, WP will take heart from their strong first-half showing, with fullback Clayton Blommetjies impressing with the boot and inside centre Damian Markus, winger Luke Burger and flanker Jarrod Taylor all crossing the whitewash.
The win sees the Cheetahs maintain their position at the top of the Currie Cup log, while WP have slipped to fifth before the final round 9 match of the competition between the Vodacom Bulls and Sharks in Pretoria.
Photo: @CheetahsRugby/Twitter