/ 31 July 1998

Cheetahs maul Border

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Friday 11.00PM.

THE Free State Cheetahs stormed home to beat Border 36-18 in a Bankfin Currie Cup rugby clash in Bloemfontein on Friday night after leading 18-12 at the break.

The inclusion of three Springbok players — Werner Swanepoel, Willie Meyer and Naka Drotske — in the Free State side made all the difference, after the team lost 33-34 against Northern Free State last Saturday.

Drotske took over the captaincy and led up front while Swanepoel was named Man of the Match. The Cheetahs scored two goals, two tries and four penalties, while the Border scrumhalf John Bradbrook scored all six Border penalties.

The Cheetahs, with Meyer at tighthead prop and Drotske hooking, were in firm command in the tight scrums and won two heels a result.

Border, who beat Boland 29-19 last weekend, proved no match for the rampant Cheetahs.

Point scorers:

For Free State: Tries by Jan-Harm van Wyk, Chris Badenhorst, Werner Swanepoel and AJ Venter, while MJ Smith goalled four penalties and two conversions.

For Border: Six penalties by John Bradbrook.