March 10 (Reuters) – Ice-cool Christian Lealiifano calmly
kicked a last-minute penalty to give the ACT Brumbies a 24-23
Super Rugby victory over the Cheetahs in Canberra on Saturday.
The South Africans led from the 18th minute – when Willie le
Roux scored a brilliant try from a set move – until the Brumbies
centre slotted his fourth penalty from four attempts with the
hooter already having sounded.
Brumbies wingers Henry Speight and Pat McCabe also scored
tries either side of halftime to help give coach Jake White, who
on Friday spurned England’s advances, a second victory in his
second match in charge.
Livewire winger Le Roux will count himself unlucky to be on
the losing side after an impressive performance in which he also
played an integral role in scrum half Tewis de Bruyn’s second
half try to give his side a 20-10 lead.
Johan Goosen missed his first kick of the season when he
came up short with a 62-metre effort in the second half but
converted both tries and kicked three penalties, including that
which gave the Cheetahs a 23-10 lead eight minutes into the
second half.
“We’re not going to get a better chance to win a game than
today,” said captain Adriaan Strauss, whose team have now lost
their first three matches. “We had so many chances to win it so
only have ourselves to blame.”
The Brumbies had looked in for a reasonably comfortable
afternoon when scrumhalf Nic White’s searing break put the home
side deep inside Cheetahs territory and a long, flat pass from
the breakdown allowed Fijian Speight to get over the line.
A superbly executed line-out move put the Cheetahs in front,
however, with prop Coenie Oosthuizen taking the overthrown ball
in open field and popping it inside to Le Roux who raced to the
line.
Le Roux’s break two minutes into the second half gave De
Bruyn the opportunity to weave his way to the try line but
Wallaby McCabe, playing his first match since the World Cup
semi-finals, hit back by crossing 10 minutes later.
Continued…
