Ken Borland

Flyhalf Chris Noakes scored 17 points in 20 minutes as the Otago Highlanders’ replacement players snatched a dramatic 36-33 (half-time 9-23) victory over the Free State Cheetahs in their SuperRugby match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Noakes, who replaced regular flyhalf Mike Delany midway through the second half, scored a try and kicked three conversions and three penalties, including an angled, long-distance match-winning effort in the 79th minute.

The Highlanders rebounded from a 9-30 deficit and the yellow-carding of hooker Andrew Hore and flank James Haskell to record their seventh win in nine matches and stay five points behind leaders and New Zealand Conference pace-setters, the Waikato Chiefs.

The Cheetahs seemed to have the match sown up when flyhalf Johan Goosen, rapidly becoming one of the legends of Free State rugby, scored a jinking try from 70 metres out to stretch their lead to 28-9. But the 19-year-old injured his shoulder in the process of scoring the try and had to leave the field, the Cheetahs suffering a spectacular meltdown thereafter.

The Highlanders began throwing the ball around and attacked like a Sevens side and were rewarded with three tries in six minutes, two by replacement scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan, as they ripped the stunned Cheetahs apart.

The home side had used strong driving play and the boot of Goosen to put themselves in a powerful position through tries by prop Coenie Oosthuizen and lock Andries Ferreira, as well as Goosen’s fine solo effort early in the second half.

Goosen was replaced by Sias Ebersohn, who missed three penalties, including an easy effort from in line with the right upright that could have made his team the victors.

Scorers

Cheetahs – Tries: Coenie Oosthuizen, Andries Ferreira, Johan Goosen. Conversions: Goosen (2), Sias Ebersohn. Penalties: Goosen (3), Ebersohn.

Highlanders – Tries: Chris Noakes, Jimmy Cowan (2). Conversions: Noakes (3). Penalties: Mike Delany (3), Noakes (2).

The ACT Brumbies swarmed to a 34-20 (half-time 17-6) victory over the Gauteng Lions, putting themselves in pole position in the Australian Conference, in their SuperRugby match at Ellis Park on Friday.

Wing Henry Speight, with two tries, was one of the driving forces for the overwhelming victory, along with the strong running of flyhalf Christian Lealiifano and a dominant forward pack.

The Lions, who are under pressure to maintain their SuperRugby status with the South African Rugby Union having guaranteed the Southern Kings promotion next year, produced an abject display and only rallied to score two tries in the final quarter to narrow the losing margin.

“I’m very happy. The way we carried the ball was so precise, we stuck with things and we put them under real pressure in the 22. We had some great stuff going on on the gain-line and things are starting to come together that we’ve been working on,” Brumbies coach Jake White said after the match.

The Brumbies went behind early to a penalty by Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies, but struck back with a 12th-minute try by prop Ruaidhri Murphy, who ploughed over the line from a ruck set up when Speight was stopped just short of the line after bursting down the blindside wing.

The visitors fell behind again, though, as Jantjies kicked another penalty four minutes later, and the Lions held on to the lead until the 22nd minute as Lealiifano and fullback Jesse Mogg missed three kicks between them.

With scrumhalf Nic White feeding them quick ball from the rucks, the Brumbies backs were a constant threat with their direct running and changes in the point of attack and Speight grabbed his first try after White’s long pass to outside centre Andrew Smith had set up a ruck, from which Lealiifano made a half-break to present the wing with an easy touchdown.

Speight was involved again as the Brumbies scored five minutes before half-time, cutting in from his wing and breaking through the porous Lions defence and popping the ball to Smith to dot down.

The lacklustre Lions had defended poorly and kicked wastefully in the first half and started the second half in even worse fashion as they conceded two tries in the first seven minutes.

Lions fullback Andries Coetzee presented wing Joe Tomane with a welcome gift try as he failed to gather a Mogg grubber and flank Michael Hooper, having hassled the Lions all game at the breakdown, then punished them from the kickoff as he burst clear and set up prop Ben Alexander for a powerful finish.

Speight scored again for the Brumbies in the 58th minute after the Lions twice presented them with turnovers in the 22, stretching the lead to an unassailable 34-6.

The situation was made worse for the Lions in the 63rd minute when replacement centre Butch James charged into a ruck with his shoulder and was yellow-carded. But the home team finished the match as the stronger side, with centre Jaco Taute and loosehead prop Caylib Oosthuizen scoring never-say-die tries at the death, both converted by Jantjies.

“It was our worst defensive performance of the season. We weren’t effective in the tackle and they hurt us with their carry and got enough breaches. They kept hold of their ball while we lost ours and they were more effective at the breakdown. I thought Hooper was outstanding, he’s world-class, that boy,” Lions coach John Mitchell said.

But the Brumbies were the stars of the show with imposing eighthman Fotu Auelua also amongst their heroes and named man of the match.

The Lions have now won just one of their eight matches and face a daunting task when they play the pace-setting Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton on May 5.

The Chiefs will have the chance to extend their lead on top of the standings when they host the Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday.

Scorers

Lions – Tries: Jaco Taute, Caylib Oosthuizen. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (2). Penalties: Elton Jantjies (2).

Brumbies – Tries: Ruaidhri Murphy, Henry Speight (2), Andrew Smith, Joe Tomane, Ben Alexander. Conversions: Jesse Mogg, Christian Lealiifano.

Flyhalf Morne Steyn had to do the bulk of the scoring with his boot as the Northern Bulls were outscored by five tries to two but still beat the ACT Brumbies 36-34 in their Super Rugby match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Steyn kicked seven penalties, a conversion and a drop goal as the Bulls built a 33-13 lead heading into the final quarter.

But the young Brumbies side made the Bulls look vulnerable at home as they ran in three tries in the last 11 minutes to earn two bonus points.

The Canterbury Crusaders have been cleared off all charges of eye-gouging by SuperRugby ruling body Sanzar following the issuing of two white cards against them after allegations made by the Northern Bulls in their match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Although there has been no official word from Sanzar, Bulls spokesman Ian Schwartz issued a statement on the franchise’s website on Monday saying “no evidence of eye-gouging was found by Sanzar’s judiciary system”.

According to the statement, no evidence was found by citing commissioner Freek Burger by analysing various video replays of the two incidents in which Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle and lock Flip van der Merwe claimed they were fouled by the Crusaders.

Schwartz said there would be no apology by the Bulls, despite comments by Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder after the game that he expected an apology if the allegations were not proven.

“For them to suggest we must now apologise, just because there is no video evidence available, would mean we have lied. It is ridiculous to suggest that every time there is a citing and there is not enough evidence, the other team should apologise,” Schwartz said.

“The rules are clear and we applied them 100% correctly. We had the right to raise the matter with the referee and we accept the fact that there was no video evidence.

“I just want to say that our players’ integrity is just as important to us as the Crusaders’ players integrity is to them. I feel the players will not make unfounded accusations unless something has happened,” Schwartz added.