Hungry Cheetahs feast on Lion cubs

The defending Currie Cup champions, the Cheetahs, continued their marauding early season form with another half-century - beating the Lions 59-5 in their Round Three match at Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Try-scorer Kabamba Floors

It is the third successive week that the Cheetahs had collected more than 50 points, showing their hunger for more success - after having won the Currie Cup for only the second time last year.

While it was all smiles for the Cheetahs, the Lions would be wondering what has hit them.

Lions coach Eugene Eloff's youth policy has backfired spectacularly. Not only have they lost all three their opening matches, but conceding almost 60 points against the Cheetahs is a clear example that it was a case of men against boys.

Even worse, the Lions are now stranded at the bottom of the Currie standings - below minnows like Griquas, the Falcons and Pumas.

While we can find as many holes in the Lions' tactics and ability as the Cheetahs did in their midfield defence, it would be unfair to the Cheetahs' efforts to concentrate solely on the negatives produced by the Lions - and there were plenty.

The Cheetahs showed from the outset that they are physically far superior, mauling the ball at will and it is stating the obvious to say this game was one-way traffic from the outset.

Even without captain Hendro Scholtz, who pulled out shortly before the match because of flu, the Cheetahs had far too much firepower - both among the forwards and backs.

The Cheetahs literally bullied the Lions into submission, as wave after wave of attack swept past the Lions.

The Cheetahs charged into a 26-0 lead at the half-time break.

This included three tries - two scored by the backs exploiting the weak defences in the No.10/No.12 and No.12/No.13 channels. The other came from a typical Cheetah maul.

It was one of those days. Everything the Cheetahs did were successful and there was even a drop-goal by fly-half Willem de Waal, which - despite being a real old wobbler - still managed to sneak over the crossbar. But not before the TMO had a good few looks at it.

The Lions had their moments - not many, but the odd occasion where they managed to get their hands on the ball. Despite some real endeavour, they were unable to threaten the Cheetahs line.

After the break the Cheetahs scored another five tries and the Lions did get a consolation score.

But it was the ease with which the Cheetahs scored towards the end of the game that showed the chasm between the two outfits.

Eleven minutes into the second period, the bonus point try came, when Barend Pieterse charged down a Jano Vermaak kick. The ball was stretched wide and Kabamba Floors scored in the corner.

Impressive fullback Bevin Fortuin, after notching a try in the first half, completed his brace with a simple No.8-No.9-No.15 move around the blindside in the 58th minute.

At this stage the score was 40-0 in favour of the home team and it looked very bleak indeed for Wikus van Heerden's young cubs.

The Lions' only score came in the 6oth minute, when replacement back Jaco van Schalkwyk scored after a break by centre
Grant Esterhuizen. It was a rare moment of success, but the memory of this was quickly wiped out by three more Cheetah tries.

The hosts scored their seventh try through replacement wing Heinrich Brussouw followed by another by reserve winger Phillip Burger, taking the score past 50, with lock Barend Pieterse adding more pain to the Lions at the death.

The scorers:

For the Cheetahs:
Tries: Fortuin 2, Van der Merwe, Passens, Floors, Brussouw, Burger, Pieterse
Cons: De Waal 5
Pens: de Waal 2
DG: De Waal

For the Lions:
Try: Van Schalkwyk

Teams:

Vodacom Cheetahs: 15 Bevin Fortuin, 14 Giscard Pieters, 13 JW Jonker, 12 Dale Heidtmann, 11 Gavin Passens, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Ryno van der Merwe, 7 Darron Nell, 6 Kabamba Floors, 5 Barend Pieterse, 4 Corniel van Zyl, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Jaco du Toit, 1 Ollie le Roux (captain).
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Wian du Preez, 18 Rory Duncan, 19 Heinrich Brussouw, 20 Falie Oelschig, 21 Chris Kruger, 22 Philip Burger,.

Lions: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Wylie Human, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wayne Julies, 11 Grant Esterhuizen, 10 Earl Rose, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Cobus Grobbelaar, 6 Wikus van Heerden (captain), 5 Gerhard Mostert, 4 Jean Deysel, 3 Gert Muller, 2 James van der Walt, 1 Heinke van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Ethienne Reynecke, 17 Daniel Muller, 18 Willem Stoltz, 19 Schalk van der Merwe, 20 Rory Kockott, 21 Jody Rose, 22 Jaco van Schalkwyk

Referee: Tappe Henning
Touch judges: Jerome America (Western Province), Mandla Dakuse (Border)
Television match official: Matt Kemp (Western Province)