Accurate Marais joins famed flyhalf brigade
Uzair Cassiem was named man of the match after his performance for the Cheetahs. Free State Cheetahs flyhalf Neil Marais joined the likes of Naas Botha, Derick Hougaard, Elton Jantjies and Patrick Lambie in the penthouse where pivots who have led their teams to Currie Cup success reside, writes Sibusiso Mjikeliso.
Marais scored 21 points with the boot as he lorded it over his opposite number, Tian Schoeman, and the rest of the luckless Blue Bulls.
He was deputised excellently by speedster Sergeal Petersen, who scored the try that brought tears to the Blue Bulls in Saturday’s final in Bloemfontein.
Petersen might have had a hat-trick but handling errors deprived him of an opportunity to enter his name into folklore.
The Cheetahs, which went unbeaten like the Golden Lions in 2015, etched their names in the history books when they defeated the Bulls 36-16 at the Free State Stadium.
The Cheetahs went into the final carrying the weight of the favourites tag but they wore it with pride and dominated the contest from start to finish.
The seven penalties Marais slotted over before the opening try belied the predicted open game. There was a sense that when the gloves were off and the legs got weary, players such as Petersen, fullback Clayton Blommetjies, winger Raymond Rhule and centre Francois Venter would have a merry time with ball in hand.
Man of the match lock Uzair Cassiem was the standout forward in a game where the backs were the focal point.
“There were plenty standout players,” said Cheetahs coach Franco Smith.
“It’s difficult to mention anyone or single anybody out in that performance. A lot of players put their hands up and took responsibility. Francois, the captain, plays an important role for us.
“He has been knocking on the Springbok door for quite a while. I moved him from No 12 to No 13 and he came to me and asked, ‘Coach, do you really believe I can become a Springbok at 13?’
“I told him if he is willing to work hard he can. We worked hard on his decision-making in the 13 channel and now it will be tough to move him back to first centre, although it will be beneficial that he can play both positions.” Smith said.
“[Centre] Neil Marais was brilliant but everyone brought quality. I told them after the game that they must get used to the feeling because we want to keep on winning, even though there is still a lot of work ahead for us.
“This is a young bunch and the title has come early in most of their careers. It’s a great thing for them,” he said. The Cheetahs have also been without Boks in the last 12 months, so the Petersen, Venter and Cassiem [Springbok] call-ups will influence the rest of the players.”
The Cheetahs and the Lions have shown that the only way forward for South African rugby is offensive, position play.
How the Boks will blend their traditional strengths with the growing wave of attacking that has gripped the country like hayfever is something Bok coach Allister Coetzee will have to negotiate.
Smith justified his inclusion into the Bok setup as a backline specialist by removing the ball and chain from his players’ ankles during the final. The move paid dividends.
The question now is whether they can replicate their domestic form in the 2017 Super Rugby competition, where they will face the New Zealand conference. “There is still a lot of work before we can see the same kind of results in Super Rugby,” Smith said. “The players can be glad there’s no review on Monday. We were really nervous and we made a lot of mistakes that were similar to the ones we made in Super Rugby.
“Luckily we are not losing anymore players going into next year. A guy like Ox Nche’s market value has risen throughout the competition.”