Central Cheetahs of South Africa won at home for the first time this season in the Super 15 with a 47-36 triumph over ACT Brumbies of Australia on Friday.
The second triumph of the season for the southern hemisphere championship franchise from Bloemfontein lifted them two positions to 12th on the table -- three places and two points behind their Canberra adversaries.
Cheetahs seem to enjoy Australian opposition as their previous victory this year came in Sydney last month when they stunned New South Wales Waratahs 23-3 to record a first Super success in Australasia.
Like so many Cheetahs matches, there was no shortage of scoring with each team crossing the tryline four times during a first half that ended with the Cheetahs 32-26 ahead on a cold autumn evening at Vodacom Park.
Props Coenie Oosthuizen and WP Nel were among the Cheetahs to dot down while Brumbies loosehead Ben Alexander also claimed a try during a half in which defences were often breached far too easily.
Brumbies did well not to be too far behind at the break after twice trailing by 25 points against opponents who took just 82 seconds to go ahead via a drop goal from Riaan Viljoen.
The fullback repeated the achievement midway through the first half, leading fly-half Sias Ebersohn to try and match the feat several times without success before a small crowd who watched a lively if somewhat unstructured encounter.
After the first half try fest, only one more was scored during the second 40 minutes with replacement Robbie Coleman sprinting over in the corner for the visitors and centre Matt Giteau converted to cut the deficit to five points.
Cheetahs have suffered narrow defeats so often this season that coach and former Springbok hooker Naka Drotske would have been forgiven if he feared the worst for a side that scored 47 points in a recent home game and still lost.
But there was to be no late collapse this time and two Ebersohn penalties inside the final 10 minutes saw the Cheetahs safely home while depriving the Brumbies of a second bonus point.
Scrum-half Sarel Pretorius -- among 51 players called up for the first pre-World Cup Springbok camp this Sunday and Monday -- scored the other two Cheetahs tries.
Ebersohn, whose brother Robert played outside centre, contributed 21 points from three conversions and five penalties while Viljoen used his boot to good effect with those two drop goals.
Left wing Francis Fainifo, Alexander, flank Michael Hooper, right wing Adam Ashley-Cooper and Coleman were the Brumbies try scorers while Wallaby Giteau kicked four conversions and a penalty.
Source: AFP Global Edition
