Cheetahs edge Bulls in 17-try Currie Cup thriller in Pretoria

Running rugby was the order of the day and despite the Bulls being down 47-17 at halftime, they mounted a superlative comeback to scare the visitors.

The Cheetahs made a dream start, scoring inside two minutes when Michael Annies chipped ahead and brilliantly regathered his own kick to dot down against the run of play.

The Bulls responded five minutes later as Riyaad Bam finished a sweeping set-piece move created by Devon Williams' long pass.

The visitors quickly wrestled back control. A pinpoint 50/22 from Ewan Kruger set up an attacking line-out, from which Zander du Plessis crashed over, before Prince Nkabinde sliced through a fragile Bulls defence two minutes later for the Cheetahs' third try.

The see-saw battle continued as Siphosethu Mnebelele powered over from a rolling maul, but Annies struck again soon after, collecting Du Plessis' offload in the tackle to secure the Cheetahs' bonus-point try in just the 25th minute, taking the score to 28-12.

The Bulls' maul remained a potent weapon and Kebotile Maake crossed from another driving effort, only for Nkabinde to grab his second try after sustained pressure. Cheetahs captain Neels Volschenk then added another before Cohen Jasper finished a devastating counterattack in the corner, giving the visitors a commanding lead at the break.

The Cheetahs picked up where they left off in the second stanza. Jasper completed his brace after Du Plessis hacked a loose ball ahead on penalty advantage, and Victor Sekekete added another from a clever lineout variation.

The Bulls finally sparked a comeback through replacement Marnus Rademeyer, before Brooklyn Newman finished off a Williams line break to cut further into the deficit.

Momentum swung dramatically when Marko Janse van Rensburg was reduced to a 20-minute red card and Annies was later yellow-carded, leaving the Cheetahs with 13 men.

The Bulls capitalised immediately as Nizaam Carr barged over before Williams crossed for another. Newman then chipped ahead from deep, allowing Rademeyer to complete his brace and slash the deficit to just seven points.

The hosts threw everything at the Cheetahs in search of a late draw, but a 55m penalty from van der Walt effectively ended their charge.