Cheetahs 24
Emerging Ireland 33
THERE WERE TIMES when it looked like this game might get away from a young Emerging Ireland team as the Cheetahs showed their power but Simon Easterby’s men dug in impressively in the second half to finish their South African trip unbeaten.
A big impact from the Irish bench helped as Easterby’s side followed up wins over the Pumas and Western Force with this five-try victory against the Cheetahs, hosts of this Toyota Challenge and semi-finalists in this year’s Currie Cup.
Watching on from back home in Ireland, Andy Farrell will have liked some of the things he has seen from this group over the past 10 days in Bloemfontein.
Connacht centre Hugh Gavin added to his growing reputation with a player of the match performance in this evening’s win over the Cheetahs, while tighthead prop Jack Aungier was among the other standouts in green. Captain James Culhane of Leinster was relentless at number eight.
Evan O’Connell, Andrew Obsorne, Alex Soroka, Matthew Devine, and Danny Sheahan all dotted down for Emerging Ireland, who were 17-12 down at half time but came up with an improved showing after the break despite evidence of fatigue as they played their third game in a week.
It remains to be seen which of these Irish players can now kick on and challenge for senior caps but Easterby, Paul O’Connell, John Fogarty, and Andrew Goodman will have learned plenty about them during this two-week stint with the group.
The players’ provinces will undoubtedly be happy to see them return home in the coming days and their spirits will be high after a successful tour to South Africa in which they showed character and no shortage of attacking quality.
A sloppy start from the Irish side allowed the Cheetahs to show their physical power early on this evening and they muscled their way over from close range through prop Robert Hunt for an unconverted seventh-minute try.
The Cheetahs thought they had a second score soon after when number eight Friedle Olivier crossed off a classy offload from centre Carel-Jan Coetzee but a TMO intervention highlighted a neck roll on Culhane in the build-up.
Relieved and spurred into life, Easterby’s men were clinical when they finally got an attacking visit to Cheetahs’ territory, striking well off set-piece. Culhane carried strongly on a maul break, then scrum-half Cormac Foley scooted away from the breakdown, tying in defenders before sending lock O’Connor surging over to finish.
Out-half Sam Prendergast’s conversion had Ireland 7-5 in front heading into the second quarter and nearly had a second try within minutes as Gavin broke from near halfway after Aungier’s tidy sweep pass. Gavin passed a hint early to Foley supporting on his left and a wonderful try-saving tackle by Cheetahs out-half Ethan Wentzel denied Foley.
The young Irish side struggled to deal with the hosts’ physicality in their own 22, however, and fullback Michael Annies dotted down their second try in the 25th minute when he ran onto a beautiful offload by Olivier. Hooker Corné Fourie then finished smartly from a five-metre maul and though Wentzel had his second miss off the tee, the Cheetahs led 17-7.
Ireland needed a response before the half-time break and a pacy counter-attack by fullback Ben O’Connor helped to earn a penalty that Prendergast kicked into the left corner.
The Irish maul was stopped but slick passes from Foley, Gavin, Prendergast, and O’Connor allowed right wing Osborne to finish comfortably out wide.
And there was time for Emerging Ireland to earn another five-metre chance before half time but they botched it by leaving the lineout early having just been warned not to do so.
Trailing 17-12, Easterby’s side needed a bright start to the second half but they were wasteful again in Cheetahs territory, getting turned over four times after finding themselves in promising positions.
Yet they kept coming as the game broke up and finally cracked the Cheetahs in the 55th minute as Aungier’s offload sent Gavin scorching downfield from halfway. His offload was loose but sub scrum-half popped the ball up and it fell into replacement back row Soroka’s arms after Prendergast was unable to hold it.
Ireland nudged 19-17 in front thanks to Prendergast’s conversion from under the posts and with fresh legs introduced to the pack from the bench, the visitors had suddenly found their rhythm as they began to stretch the Cheetahs’ defence with their fluid attack.
Cheetahs lock Carl Wegner was fortunate to avoid a red card in the 63rd minute after his shoulder made heavy contact with the face of Charlie Tector, who had just come on in the Irish midfield. Wegner was shown yellow as the referee found mitigation.
But it was the Cheetahs who scored next despite their numerical disadvantage as pacy fullback Annies got outside the Irish linespeed in defence to cross for his second score, converted for a 24-19 lead.
Easterby’s men found energy in response, with replacement out-half Jack Murphy making a good impact. It was the Ulster academy man’s gallop down the middle that allowed the lively Devine to pick and snipe, fending a Cheetahs defender on his way to scoring under the uprights, allowing Murphy to push them back in front at 26-24.
The Irish offloads were sticking again and after Soroka nearly crossed wide on the right, they won a penalty and opted to tap. From five metres out, sub hooker Sheahan forced his way over with a latch from Darragh Murray and Conor O’Tighearnaigh.
That sealed the deal and the Irish delight was evident in their celebrations.
Cheetahs scorers:
Tries: Robert Hunt, Michael Annies [2], Corné Fourie
Conversions: Ethan Wentzel [2 from 4]
Emerging Ireland scorers:
Tries: Evan O’Connell, Andrew Obsorne, Alex Soroka, Matthew Devine, Danny Sheahan
Conversions: Sam Prendergast [2 from 3], Jack Murphy [2 from 2]
CHEETAHS: Michael Annies; Prince Nkabinde, Munier Hartzenberg, Carel-Jan Coetzee, Asanda Kunene; Ethan Wentzel, Rewan Kruger; Schalk Ferreira, Corné Fourie, Robert Hunt; Carl Wegner (yellow card ’63), Victor Sekekete (captain); Gideon Van der Merwe, Siskonke Vumazonke, Friedle Olivier.
Replacements: Marco Janse van Rensburg, Hencus Van Wyk, Laurence Victor, Ulrich Stander, Neels Volschenk, Jandre Nel, George Lourens, Cohen Jasper.
EMERGING IRELAND: Ben O’Connor; Andrew Osborne, Hugh Cooney, Hugh Gavin; Zac Ward (Charlie Tector ’60), Sam Prendergast (Jack Murphy ’70), Cormac Foley (Matthew Devine ’52); Alex Usanov (George Hadden ’58), Stephen Smyth (Danny Sheahan ’65), Jack Aungier (Scott Wilson ’58); Evan O’Connell (Conor O’Tighearnaigh ’58), Darragh Murray; Harry Sheridan (Alex Soroka ’52), Sean Edogbo, James Culhane (captain).
