Cheetahs smash Leopards in Currie Cup

The Cheetahs remained in contention for a place in the Currie Cup semifinals after they smashed the Leopards by 60 points to 17 on Friday night.

The Leopards started and finished with a bang, but the fireworks were delivered by a slick Cheetahs side who ran the Leopards ragged in difficult conditions.

The Leopards led 10-0 early on after a superb Deon van Rensburg try, set up by a clever grubber from flyhalf Cecil Dumont, and a Jean Tiedt penalty.

And in the final minutes winger Danie Dames sprinted more than half the field, chipped ahead and collected to outpace Jongi Nokwe for seven points.

But gallant as the Leopards were, the rest of the match belonged to the Cheetahs, with number eight Ashley Johnson and scrumhalf Tewis de Bruyn the key performers.

The Cheetahs scored their first try after half an hour when flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter dotted down under the sticks, but injured a shoulder and had to be carried off with the stretcher car.

After the break the Cheetahs turned on the screws when they dominated the scrums, lineouts and breakdowns to create opportunities for their runners, and the backs and loose-forwards had a merry time.

De Bruyn also made his presence felt in his comeback game and his goal-kicking was on the money.

The five points keep the Cheetahs in the hunt for a possible Currie Cup semifinal spot.

Final Score Cheetahs 60 Leopards 17

Scorers

Cheetahs:
Tries: Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Ashley Johnson, Frans Viljoen, Hendro Scholtz, Jongi Nokwe, Meyer Bosman,Nico Breedt, Richard Strauss.
Conversions: Tewis de Bruyn (5), Louis Strydom (2).
Penalties: Jacques-Louis Potgieter (2).

Leopards:
Tries: Deon van Rensburg, Danie Dames.
Conversions: Jean Tiedt, Neil Jacobs.
Penalty: Tiedt.