Blue Bulls to face Cheetahs in Currie Cup final
The Blue Bulls are through to the final of the 2016 Currie Cup after defeating Western Province 36-30 in an epic semi-final at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, compliments of a flawless kicking display by flyhalf Tian Schoeman and a late try by scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl.
They now face the Free State Cheetahs who secured their first Currie Cup home final since 2007 as they overpowered defending champions, the Golden Lions, 55-17 in Bloemfontein.
The Currie Cup Final, which will be hosted on Saturday, 22 October, will mark the first time since the 2009 season that the teams meet in the grand finale.
The Free State Cheetahs’ victory in the semi-final not only booked them a home final, it also took them a step closer to completing a dream season, as it extended their winning run to nine matches – only two away from matching their record winning streak of 11 matches in the Currie Cup, which they set in 2007.
The Bloemfontein side were in fine form from the outset as they capitalised on the points on offer through penalty goals and tries, and supported this with a solid defensive effort. Such was the effectiveness of their play, they boasted an encouraging 26-0 lead at the break and then built on this in the second half despite receiving two yellow cards, to finish the match with six tries to three by their Johannesburg counterparts.
In Pretoria, the Blue Bulls and Western Province each scored three tries, but five penalty goals to the home team’s flyhalf Tiaan Schoeman to only three by his Western Province counterpart Robert du Preez, earned them a victory.
Similarly to Marais of the Free State Cheetahs, Schoeman’s flawless kicking performance of eight kicks out of eight for a personal total of 21 points proved crucial in their victory, although it was a try by replacement scrumhalf Van Zyl two minutes before the final whistle that sealed the victory.