Faf de Klerk needed only his second game back on South African soil to remind Bloemfontein exactly what the Cheetahs signed up for. The Springbok scrumhalf scored twice and was named Man of the Match as the Toyota Cheetahs beat the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 43-21 in Currie Cup Round Two at Toyota Stadium.
The scoreline flattered neither side early on. Prince Nkabinde opened the scoring inside two minutes, and Faf De Klerk followed ten minutes later, ghosting through a gap of his own to make it 14-0. The Sharks XV hit back through Janco Purchase and Simphiwe Ngobese to level it at 14-14 by the break, a tight arm-wrestle that gave little hint of the gulf that would open up later.
Curtly Thomas was shown a yellow card just after the restart, and Marnus Potgieter punished the extra space to put the Sharks XV 21-19 ahead. It lasted barely a minute. Nkabinde crossed again to put the Cheetahs back in front for good, then added a third try past the hour mark for a match-high 15 points, while Daniel Maartens finished off a bench cameo with a try of his own.
Faf De Klerk capped his own night in the 78th minute with his second try, sealing a 43-21 scoreline built on 24 unanswered points once the Cheetahs found their gear.
Jaco van der Walt’s afternoon told a different story. The flyhalf converted just four of the Cheetahs’ seven tries, missing the target on both of Nkabinde’s second-half scores, and looked short of his usual composure at the base of the backline throughout. It is the kind of off-colour kicking display that would have cost the Cheetahs dearly against a side with more accuracy of its own.
“Jaco van der Walt had another shocking game with the boot!” – 🎙️Jay
Faf De Klerk signed a two-year deal with the Cheetahs in April, ending a four-year stint with the Yokohama Canon Eagles in Japan and returning to South Africa for the first time since his four seasons at Sale Sharks in England. The 60-cap Springbok, a double Rugby World Cup winner in 2019 and 2023, made his Cheetahs debut in last week’s 29-27 win over the Lions.
Two games in, his influence has gone from promising to decisive, and it leaves Frans Steyn with a contrast to manage heading into Round Three: a scrumhalf finding his feet fast, and a flyhalf whose boot needs to catch up with the rest of the team.
The win moves the Cheetahs to two wins from two rounds to open the campaign. The Sharks XV, who opened with a win over the Pumas, suffered their first defeat of the season. The occasion also marked Clayton Blommetjies’ 150th appearance for the union, the veteran fullback making way just after the hour mark.
📸 Images via Cheetahs Rugby / Gallo Images
