The chasm between Super 14 experience and Vodacom Cup rugby was further exposed when defending champions the Cheetahs hammered Griquas 55-14 in a one-sided opening Currie Cup encounter played in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The Cheetahs, who surprisingly won the Currie Cup last year, started 2006 with a bang, running up a 29-0 half-time lead on their way to an eight-try romp.
Such was the Cheetahs’ dominance that their coach, Rassie Erasmus, started experimenting and even put replacement scrumhalf Falie Oelschig at flyhalf for the final 20 minutes.
Griquas, who came into the competition at the expense of the Spears, look set to battle this season.
After scoring four first-half tries the Cheetahs dotted down again in the second period through Bevin Fortuin, Phillip Burger and Bian Vermaak, who notched up a brace.
Griquas deserved some more points than the try by former Free Stater Lodie Britz, converted by another convert, Conrad Barnard. Vuyani Dlomo scored a late try for the visitors.
The first try, scored in the 14th minute by the hosts, was well set up by Michael Claasens, who fed Currie Cup debutant JW Jonker at outside centre, who in turn laid off for left wing Gavin Passens to score a simple try in the corner.
The second try by the Cheetahs was also brilliantly set up by Jonker, who picked up the ball from a sweeping movement before drawing a man and off-loading to the opposite winger Giscard Pieters, converted by Willem de Waal, to give them a 12-0 lead.
De Waal then slotted a penalty to take the game further away from Griquas.
A costly error by the Griquas defence resulted in a try by lock Rory Duncan and the conversion was solid, with the Cheetahs racing into a 22-0 lead on the half-hour mark.
The Cheetahs secured the bonus point just before the break with their fourth try by Ryno van der Merwe to take the score to 29-0 at the break. — Sapa