The Free State Cheetahs outlasted a brave and willing Sharks XV to register their second win of the 2025 Currie Cup campaign.
Residents of the Clermont township, west of Durban, were treated to some exhibition-style rugby at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium as both teams showed a willingness to run the ball. But ultimately a string of handling errors and penalties made it a low-scoring affair, with the men from Bloemfontein prevailing 7-5 to register a crucial away win and keep alive their charge to the playoffs.
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The Sharks remain winless in the competition and stay rooted to the bottom of the table.
A yellow card after 14 minutes for Sharks lock Corne Rahl led to a try for the Cheetahs courtesy of No 8 Neels Volschenk. Wing Ntokozo Makhaza was successful with the conversion.
The frantic rugby continued in the second half, with end-to-end running from both teams failing to dent the scoreboard. But the Sharks finally dotted down in the fourth quarter after sustained pressure on the Cheetahs line, with loosehead prop Phato Ganyane crashing over. Unfortunately for JP Pietersen’s team, the conversion was missed by replacement playmaker Jean Smith.
The Sharks continue their winless streak in the #CurrieCup 🦈 pic.twitter.com/IEzdvFaBVD
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 9, 2025
It doesn’t get any easier for the Sharks as they now travel to the Suzuki Stadium on Friday to take on Griquas, while the Cheetahs host Western Province in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
