Cheetahs’ curse continues in Canberra
10 Mar 2012
GARETH DUNCAN watched Christian Lealiifano kick a last-second penalty to give the Brumbies a 24-23 win over the Cheetahs in Canberra.
With a 23-10 lead early in the second half over a bumbling Brumbies outfit, the Cheetahs looked set to record their third Super Rugby victory in Australasia. However, referee Keith Brown’s strict handling of the scrum and breakdown swung the momentum and saw the Cheetahs heavily penalised in the final quarter. After Pat McCabe’s try, Lealiifano slotted three penalties for the win – the last one coming in the final movement of the game.
Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss said he felt hard done by as ‘the decisions went against them’ at the death. However, the Bloemfontein franchise had opportunities to take play out of their half following a Heinrich Brussow steal and a Philip Snyman intercept. A knock-on cancelled Brussow’s efforts, while Snyman looked for support instead of kicking his team out of danger. This saw the Brumbies take advantage of their favourable field position.
Head coach Naka Drotske will be disappointed considering his side had the upper hand against Jake White’s charges for most parts of the match.
The Cheetahs showed good attacking play in the first half, but their finishing let them down. After Henry Speight’s early try for the hosts, the visitors held most of the ascendancy in the first half, but they failed to capitalise from their regular visits to the Brumbies’ red zone. It took a smart run from speedster Willie le Roux for the Bloemfontein franchise to finally cross the chalk as he raced through following a set-piece move from a lineout in midfield.
It was a close contest on the scoreboard, with Johan Goosen and Christian Lealiifano trading penalties. A Goosen three-pointer on the stroke of half-time edged the Cheetahs 13-10 ahead at the break.
The Cheetahs built on their lead early after the restart, with a Tewis de Bruyn try and a Goosen penalty creating a 13-point buffer. However, the tourists imploded as their ill-discipline and poor decision making cost them a famous win. Their overseas curse continues.
95 Comments
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10 Mar 2012, 06:25 am
Yawning dragons (the audience that watches this game!)
10 Mar 2012, 07:05 am
@BillTong(BillTong)-1:
Pretty entertaining, frenetic rugby pack full of young, exciting youngsters from both sides…
10 Mar 2012, 07:10 am
That tackles faker and ball dropping Johnson is a disgrace
10 Mar 2012, 07:14 am
@Hondo(Hondo)-3:
Aussie commentators and I disagree… marginal error rate to all his pop-passing and off-loads… excellent work-rate on the front-foot… which is exactly why he’s been chosen for this game in these running conditions…
10 Mar 2012, 07:14 am
brussow pinged, knee on the ground.
10 Mar 2012, 07:18 am
cheetahs need to calm down on attack & not force these pop passes.
10 Mar 2012, 07:33 am
Le Roux is one slippery customer… can see why Benjamin is being omitted… Cheetahs definitely the best attacking side in RSA so far… albeit against the weakest Brumbies side in quite some time.
10 Mar 2012, 07:39 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-7: ja, the same Brumbies that folded the Force in week 1, then the Force must be uber kak
10 Mar 2012, 07:43 am
transie,i see that sarel cilliers lost 31-34 to kearsney last week.they are from dundee and 95 percent black.the kids do not have issues with the schools name…
10 Mar 2012, 07:45 am
@Hondo(Hondo)-3:
Shame
He too black for you?
10 Mar 2012, 07:46 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-9: what the hell does a school in DUNDEE of all places have to do with me?
10 Mar 2012, 07:47 am
f okof dawn,hou op aandag soek
10 Mar 2012, 07:48 am
why did they make the kid kick from there? 62m
10 Mar 2012, 07:49 am
Another Johnson’s turn over, number 4 of this match
10 Mar 2012, 07:49 am
it is going to be the next big rugby school,just to let you know that black players are being chosen on merit and doing well,then again it will not suit your agenda or victim mentality.
10 Mar 2012, 07:49 am
johnson needs to bloody protect the ball in contact man! this is bullshit from him.
10 Mar 2012, 07:53 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-15: haha ME a victim? go bark up another tree boytie
10 Mar 2012, 07:53 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-8:
Exactly… did you not watch the hiding they got from the young Cane’s side?
10 Mar 2012, 07:53 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-15:
ooo!
Big words!
10 Mar 2012, 07:54 am
Cheetah’s looking tired now… bench needs to be used…
10 Mar 2012, 07:56 am
@Dawn(Dawn)-19:
moenie met my praat nie papbek.
10 Mar 2012, 07:58 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-15: FYI schools like Dale, Queens, Graeme & Selborne have had predominantly black merit teams FOR YEARS. only in Natal is this a novelty…go figure
10 Mar 2012, 07:59 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-18: not yet, got it on pvr though
10 Mar 2012, 08:02 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-22
so why are ep and the kings so kak.
10 Mar 2012, 08:05 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-24: hahaha
is that your comeback? 34 – 26 they rolled the previously undefeated Pampas.
10 Mar 2012, 08:05 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-23:
Like many teams this year… some excellent young prospects coming through…
10 Mar 2012, 08:05 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-21:
Oooo!
Afrikaans!
10 Mar 2012, 08:06 am
keith brown is really making himself present now…
10 Mar 2012, 08:08 am
come on cheetahs hold on!
10 Mar 2012, 08:10 am
what is that contraption in white’s ear?
10 Mar 2012, 08:14 am
keith brown won this for the brumbies
10 Mar 2012, 08:15 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-30:
Water boy had the same…
Entertaining game this… tough for the Cheetahs…
10 Mar 2012, 08:15 am
this is devastating!
10 Mar 2012, 08:17 am
gutting
10 Mar 2012, 08:18 am
And the Australasian fukc nut conspiracy continue. May all you motherfukcers get your day. **** ref, **** commentators, **** crowd. LOL!
10 Mar 2012, 08:19 am
What is it with New Zealand Referees and Australian Rugby.
THIS IS PATHETIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10 Mar 2012, 08:19 am
Credit to Phil Kearns who more or less said that the Brumbies got away with **** refereeing
10 Mar 2012, 08:20 am
Damn…!!
Cheetahs threw this one away…
10 Mar 2012, 08:21 am
@ufo(ufo)-38:
How can throw that which is taken out of your hands?
10 Mar 2012, 08:22 am
I’m not a Cheetahs fan, but that was a pretty disgusting performance from the ref. Brumbies engaging early on every scrum in the game and not called on it once, then awards the Brumbies some mystery penalties in the last 20 min to hand them the game. And as for the Aussie tv and commentators conveniently ignoring certain incidents and replays…
Very disappointing.
10 Mar 2012, 08:22 am
@YoMama(YoMama)-37:
Rubbish… he even pointed out that last penalty…
Cheetah’s chucked this close one through lack of discipline and taking foot off gas…
Reminiscent of last season for them…
22man 85min rugby!
10 Mar 2012, 08:24 am
The thing that pisses me off the most is how blatant it was. On every scrum the Brumbies went in early and the Cheetahs were penalized.
On the one that was just too obvious, Browneye penalized Strauss for “moving his head”
Isn’t that the same trick that Bryce pulled on the Sharks last year?
10 Mar 2012, 08:27 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-41: well if the brumbies never get pinged for early engagement the result has nothing to do with your cliched “22man 85min rugby” piffle. brown was pinging only one side!
10 Mar 2012, 08:27 am
How does Naka Drotske still have a job?
10 Mar 2012, 08:28 am
Ref can be very happy with himself after that. I’m pretty sure his orders were to make sure the Brumbies win. Mission accomplished.
10 Mar 2012, 08:28 am
@YoMama(YoMama)-42:
Absolutely disgusting. I see a few scribes on Twitter are already for the game to be investigated. Something seemed to click in Keith Brown’s head those last 20min, and he just went on some crazy rampage.
The amount he missed on the side of the Brumbies and “saw” on the side of the Cheetahs was mind-boggling.
10 Mar 2012, 08:29 am
The Cheetahs were blatantly cheated but rest assured, the tootless dog,
Andre Watson will defend the ref. It is high time he gets kicked off the gravy train.
The refs needs stronger representation.
10 Mar 2012, 08:30 am
Kak refereeing notwithstanding, the Cheetahs have zero respect for the ball.
2 Minutes from the end they turn over a crucial ball in their 22, and start RUNNING with it. They had the game won, all they needed to do was get out of their half, but instead the guy with the ball tosses a speculative skipp pass out wide, which ends up drifting way forward and straight into Brumbie hands.
How stupid is that? They have this idea that you can score spectacular tries at any time from anywhere, and as a result they play stupid rugby.
That little move cost them the game.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
10 Mar 2012, 08:30 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-41:
No no, the Cheetahs outplayed the Brumbies.
Every time that they weren’t penalized, they scored.
Raaubenheimer penalized for “wrong entry” – straight through the middle.
Cheetahs penalized for using hands in the ruck – after the brumby lying in the ruck raked it back with his foot.
EVERY scrum, the brumbies went in early – Cheetahs penalized.
When the scrum goes through 90deg, the defending team wins the ball – penalty brumbies (and don’t tell me the cheetahs were “walking around” – look at the brumbies loosies…they were going the other way, not holding straight.
10 points to Browneye from Paddy O’Brien and Keith Lawrence.
10 Mar 2012, 08:32 am
@Melchizedek(Melchizedek)-44:
Simple, he’s a great coach. Call him Midas. He turns veld mud into gold and then does it again the next season after the teams that can’t develop players come shopping.
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