Specman’s brilliance leaves Province clutching at straws in Bloemfontein

HE thrilled fans as a Bilitzbok, and yesterday he again showed he can light up the 15-man game as well. Rosko Specman had the home crowd shouting for more as he scored an absolutely stunning try and played a big part in two others, as he helped the Free State Cheeahs to a convincing bonus-point win in Bloemfontein.

Western Province won the territory and possession battle in the first half but they were tormented by Specman, whose powerful runs, superb support play and all-round hard work played a significant part in the Cheetahs’ second-bonus-point win in as many matches.

Specman scored the opening try (and definitely the try of the match) when he got the ball in his own 22 after a clearance kick by Province and glided through WP’s defence, leaving no fewer than three defenders grasping at nothing, to score a brilliant solo try and give his team a 5-0 lead.

He also had a direct hand in their second five-pointer, scored by inside centre William Small-Smith, when he got hold of the ball after a maul and broke the line once again, before offloading to the midfielder to put in the final dash to score. And Specman didn’t stop there. For the Cheetahs’ third try, he received a pass from loose forward Uzair Cassiem, before running in a few solid metres and sending a perfectly-timed pass to skipper Francois Venter to run in their third try and stretch their lead going into the break (18-10).

It was the hosts’ water-tight defence, their ability to pounce on turnovers in open play and a few brilliant individual moments that secured victory for the defending champions.

They also managed to poach a number of WP’s lineouts, while the only area Province could confidently say they dominated was the scrums.

But there were a few other players who also deserve credit for their efforts at the Free State Stadium.

Former Kings standout Makazole Mapimpi wasn’t as prominent as Specman, but he also looked good at times with a few nice runs, while he also showed his skill when he managed to loosen his arm from WP wing Seabelo Senatla’s grip in the tackle and dot the ball down for a try as he was driven into touch.

WP also got a try worthy of bragging about, when scrumhalf Justin Phillips neatly controlled the ball and managed to ground the ball over his head (while on his back) on the line in the tackle after Province were propelled forward by another power-packed maul.

And that try came in handy, especially given the fact that they were denied a try in a very controversial manner after they applied good pressure on the hosts.

WP managed to get one more converted try on the score sheet through Steph de Wit in the last eight minutes, but in the second half it was all Cheetahs as they kept Province to mostly a defensive role.