Faf de Klerk produced a man-of-the-match display as the Toyota Cheetahs secured a home Carling Currie Cup semifinal with a 33-24 win over the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
The victory, which came from 7-10 down at halftime, earns the Cheetahs a full five-point haul and lifts them level with defending champions Suzuki Griquas at the top of the table — Griquas holding the edge on points difference after thumping the Airlink Pumas 38-14 in Nelspruit earlier in the weekend.
The match was scoreless through the first 22 minutes before hooker Juan Smal, 22, finished off a driving maul from a lineout penalty near the Kavaliers' line. Flyhalf Tiaan Swanepoel converted to make it 7-0. The Kavaliers hit back through lock John Stopforth from a five-metre penalty tap around the half-hour mark, Ashlon Davids converting from the touchline, before the experienced 33-year-old Davids added a penalty from in front on the halftime hooter to send the teams in at 10-7.
The second half remained tight until De Klerk's sniping break created the platform for inside centre Zander du Plessis to score, Swanepoel converting to make it 14-10. The match turned definitively when flanker Kwanda Dimaza was yellow-carded for a head-on-head ruck cleanout on De Klerk approaching the hour mark. Centre Chris Smit crossed shortly after to give the Cheetahs a 15-13 numerical and scoreboard advantage simultaneously. De Klerk then went over himself for the third converted try, and Stopforth was sin-binned, briefly reducing the Kavaliers to 12 men. Right wing Michael Annies completed the bonus-point try in the 65th minute.
The Kavaliers' defeat leaves them with serious work to do in the final round, where they face the champions in Wellington. With just four log points separating third-placed Pumas from seventh-placed Hollywoodbets Sharks XV, the play-off picture remains wide open heading into the final weekend.
Round results also saw the DHL Stormers XXIII hammer the winless Vodacom Bulls XV 50-26 in Pretoria and the Sharks XV draw 22-all with the Fidelity ADT Lions in Pietermaritzburg — a result that keeps even the Sharks XV in mathematical contention for a semifinal spot.
The final round opens on Friday with the Lions hosting the Stormers XXIII in Johannesburg and the Sharks XV welcoming the Bulls XV to Durban. On Saturday, the Cheetahs travel to Mbombela to face the Pumas, before Sunday's season-deciding clash between the Kavaliers and Griquas in Wellington.