2 October 2011
Report by David van der Merwe
The Cheetahs came out showing their intent and after just 4 minutes Johan Goosen kicked a penalty to put them 3-0 in front. The Lions hit back with a Cobus "Baywatch" Grobelaar try. Elton Jantjies missed the conversion. Although the Lions had the most of possession and territory they just couldn't convert it into points. Jantjies clearly forgot his kicking boots in Johannesburg and their handling and errors cost them. Goosen put the Cheetahs in front with another penalty and added a 40m drop goal to it. Goosen also missed a long range penalty but made up for it with 2 more before halftime taking the score to 15-5.
Early in the second half Jaco Taute and Johan Goosen literally bumped heads as Taute tackled Goosen. Both went down. Goosen was stretchered of as silence fell over the crowed. Taute got up and played further. Goosen being of the field was a big loss for the Cheetahs. This 19 year old has kicked 27/29 goals this season. They recovered quickly and Piet van Zyl went over for a try. Sias Ebersohn kicked the conversion. A penalty to each side saw the scores at 25-11 in favour of the Cheetahs with about 6 minutes left. Tewis de Bruin, replacement scrum-half for the Cheetahs got yellow carded. With 4 minutes left Jacobie Adriaanse went over for the Lions and Jantjies converted to make it 25-18. This was followed by a Michael Killian try in the corner. Jantjies kicked this very difficult conversion to level the scores at 25 all at full time.
The Lions can only blame themselves for not winning this game. They missed a couple of penalties and a conversion. Their handling let them down and they made some basic errors. Yes, Marius Jonker, the referee made some interesting calls, but their own errors cost them more. They have however secured a semi-final spot. Next week they face a WP side that is injury depleted, but full of fight.
The Cheetahs will face the Pumas in Witbank and a win for them will secure the semi-final spot. It will however not be just a walk in the park as many of the big teams came to realise this week. The good news for them is that Johan Goosen was well enough to receive his man of the match award after the game. A note to the Springbok selectors: Get Johan Goosen in a Springbok jersey as quick as possible. We can't afford to lose this young man to another country.
