The Cheetahs moved to the top of the Super Rugby Unlocked South Africa after a 53-31 victory over the Pumas in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon. The Free State franchise are now top of the standings after earning a bonus point.
FULL-TIME | CHEETAHS VS PUMAS
A clinical outing from Malcolm Jaer delivers the Cheetahs a win. https://t.co/RyTHhjrEqO
NB: Logo currently displayed for Pumas is incorrect. #SuperRugby25Years #SuperRugbyUnlocked #CHEvPUM pic.twitter.com/t7DVv1ktNP
— Super Rugby/TRC (@SuperRugby) October 10, 2020
The competition kicked off on Friday night with a tightly contested match between the Sharks and the Lions in Durban.
Super Rugby Unlocked | Sharks v Lions – Rd 1 Highlights
The Super Rugby Unlocked season-opener did not disappoint, as the @TheSharksZA held off a fast-finishing @LionsRugbyCo, securing a slender victory in Durban.#SuperRugby #SuperRugbyUnlocked #SHAvLIO pic.twitter.com/GmoSBDUJ8r
— Super Rugby/TRC (@SuperRugby) October 9, 2020
It is played by four existing Super Rugby teams in South Africa the Bulls, Lions, Sharks, and the Stormers. They have been joined by the Cheetahs, Pumas, and Griquas.
Each team will play a single round of seven matches and the champion will be the team with most points.
The competition concludes on 21 November.
The game was almost over as a contest in the first half with the Cheetahs scoring six tries without a reply from the Pumas. But the Pumas upped their game in the second half, getting four tries of their own.
The Cheetahs started like a house on fire with Malcolm Jaer scoring the first try of the match in the second minute.
The first points for the Pumas came via the boot of Eddie Fouche a few minutes later. But Jaer got his second try of the match in the 12th minute.
It proved to be a one sided affair when Junior Pokomela got the third try of the match for the homeside.
Springbok Sevens finisher Rosko Specman got two tries of his own within a space of two minutes, and another one came from veteran skipper Ruan Pienaar give the Cheetahs a 41-3 lead at the break.
The Cheetahs scored their seventh try of the match early in the second half before Ginter Smuts got a consolation try for the Pumas.
Jaer scored his hatrick in the 57th minute to stretch the lead for the Cheetahs. The visitors seemed to have upped their game a bit in the second half as they managed to score their second try of the match through Daniel Maartens.
Le Roux Roets redeemed the pride of the Mpumalanga based Pumas when he scored their third try of the match with just three minutes remaining. But the Pumas were not done yet with Neil Maritz getting their fourth try in the final minute.
In their next fixtures the Cheetahs will host the Bulls in Bloemfontein, while the Pumas will be on the road to the Griquas.
Super Rugby Unlocked | Cheetahs v Pumas – Rd 1 Highlights
A red-hot @CheetahsRugby outfit put the Pumas to the sword on Saturday, winning their Super Rugby Unlocked season-opener in Bloemfontein.#SuperRugby #SuperRugbyUnlocked #CHEvPUM pic.twitter.com/tffbIXLzcD
— Super Rugby/TRC (@SuperRugby) October 10, 2020
