Frans quits as Cheetahs slay Bulls
WHAT a send-off for Willie le Roux and Sarel Pretorius as the Cheetahs slaughtered the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last night.
The Cheetahs duo played their last match for the Bloemfontein side, and proved an inspiration as the visitors won their first Super Rugby match at Loftus against the Bulls.
Springbok fullback Le Roux will be joining the Sharks next season, while scrumhalf Pretorius will be moving to Welsh side Newport Dragons.
Pierre Spies, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Francois Hougaard, Jacques du Plessis and Flip van der Merwe — as well as now retired Victor Matfield (from Super Rugby) and Akona Ndungane — did not receive the farewell they had hoped for.
The gloomy faces of the Bulls coaching staff and the number of supporters who left their seats to go home rather than endure more of seeing their team bow down to the Cheetahs also summed up the troubles at Loftus, with the imminent change in coaching staff.
The Bulls could not have expected the fired-up start from the Cheetahs, who went into the break with a 28-10 lead.
The home team was the first to lift the tempo. It took fullback Jesse Kriel just four minutes to score the opening try to give the hosts an early lead.
The Bulls remained alive for the first 10 minutes of the match, playing some enterprising rugby.
But after the Cheetahs scored their first five-pointer through No 8 Neill Jordaan, the team from Bloemfontein produced more attacking rugby.
Cheetahs scrumhalf Pretorius sparked the visitors’ impressive attack. Among the forwards, loose forward Boom Prinsloo dominated.
Injuries continue to plague the career of talented Cheetahs winger Sergeal Pietersen. After threatening the Bulls defence with some classy touches, he became the second Cheetahs player stretchered off the field. Prinsloo joined the casualty list early in the second half.
The Cheetahs were rewarded with a further three tries to take their tally to four at the break.
The visitors picked up where they left off in the second half as substitute lock Steven Sykes dotted down.
The Bulls replied with two tries from Hougaard and one from Spies, but that was not enough to counter a total of six tries scored by the Cheetahs.
The match was also the last time coach Frans Ludeke was at the helm of the Pretoria side.
Bulls chief executive Barend van Graan announced after the match that Ludeke had stepped down as Super Rugby and Currie Cup coach after last winning silverware when the side took the 2010 Super Rugby title.
The Bulls are yet to name a replacement for their Super Rugby campaign, but under-21 coach Nollis Marais will be Currie Cup coach for 2015.
It is believed that Ludeke, who has been at the union since 2008, will move up to the role of director of rugby.
It took fullback Jesse Kriel just four minutes to score the opening try