Blues battle past Cheetahs
The Blues heaped more misery on Super Rugby bottom club Cheetahs with a hard-fought 29-22 victory at Whangarei.
Last Updated: 02/04/11 8:40am
Auckland Blues heaped more misery on Super Rugby bottom club Cheetahs with a hard-fought 29-22 victory at Whangarei.
Seemingly coasting to victory at 24-3 ahead with half an hour remaining, the Blues were almost left red-faced following an inspired fightback from their South African counterparts.
Livewire scrum-half Sarel Pretorius ran in two tries in the space of six minutes and a 77th minute score from Coenie Oosthuizen put the visitors within a converted try of the Blues.
However, the New Zealanders snuffed out the late push with a penalty kick over the touchline to notch their fifth win from seven games in the competition.
The Blues dominated possession in a fast-paced first half at Toll Stadium and were denied a first try in the fifth minute by flanker Kabamba Floors, who dragged number eight Peter Saili into touch before he could plant the ball in the corner.
Inspired
Blues fly-half Stephen Brett set up the first points, stepping between two defenders in the 19th minute before putting in winger Joe Rokocoko to scamper over near the left corner.
A smart one-two between Brett and Luke McAlister resulted in the Blues' second try, the former charging over five minutes before half time.
Sias Ebersohn slotted a penalty on the stroke of the interval to give the Cheetahs their first score, but the Bloemfontein-based side went into the break trailing 14-3.
Saili barged over near the posts 15 minutes after the break to put the Blues 22-3 up before Pretorius inspired the Cheetahs with two tries in quick succession.
The speedy scrum-half received a pass inside from Robert Ebersohn in the right corner in the 60th minute before launching himself over a pile of players, then grabbed his second with a quick tap in the left corner.
Blues full-back Isaia Toeava stopped the rot by bursting through a clutch of defenders to cross in the 74th minute, but the Cheetahs came again when prop Oosthuisen charged under the posts in the 79th minute to set up a tense finish.
The Cheetahs' unlikely bid for a match-tying converted try ended abruptly, though, when they conceded a penalty deep in defence.
