Currie Cup: Donavan Don's late try clinches dramatic win for Boland over Cheetahs

In a match that ebbed and flowed from start to finish, both sides showed their attacking prowess and resilience, but it was the Cavaliers who had the final say in front of their home crowd.

Boland dominated the early exchanges and were rewarded with two penalty goals from fullback James Tedder inside the opening 12 minutes. Their early momentum continued when flyhalf Ashlon Davids crossed for the first try of the afternoon in the 16th minute, capitalising on sustained pressure and quick ball movement.

Despite barely seeing the ball in the opening quarter, the Cheetahs struck back after a Boland error at a defensive line-out. A misthrow from hooker Sidney Tobias allowed opposite number Marco Janse van Rensburg to score under the posts. Minutes later, Rewan Kruger powered over from close range to give the visitors a slender 14–13 lead.

A yellow card to Cheetahs flanker Gideon van der Merwe for slowing down play shifted the momentum back to the hosts. David Brits dotted down soon after, before a brilliant counterattack sparked by Gift Dlamini set the platform for Davids' second try. Boland went into the break with a commanding 27–14 lead.

The second half belonged largely to the Cheetahs, whose forward pack began to dominate the set-pieces and breakdowns. Replacement back Carel-Jan Coetzee scored following a well-executed chip kick by Ethan Wentzel, and Van der Merwe made amends for his earlier sin-binning with a powerful try from a driving maul.

The visitors took a 35–27 lead in the 74th minute when Vernon Paulo crashed over for their fifth try, appearing to put the result beyond doubt.

But Boland refused to fade.

With less than a minute remaining, Marcqiewn Titus gathered a pinpoint cross-kick to score in the corner, narrowing the deficit to just three points. With time for one final restart, the Cavaliers opted against kicking a potential game-tying penalty, instead gambling on a line-out - a decision that proved decisive.

After multiple attacking phases and patient buildup, Don capitalised on a gap out wide to dive over in the corner, sparking wild celebrations in Wellington.

The win marked a dream start to Boland's Currie Cup campaign and a reminder of their attacking flair and fighting spirit.

The scorers:

For Boland:

Tries: Davids 2, Brits, Titus, Don

Cons: Tedder 3

Pens: Tedder 2

For Cheetahs:

Tries: Jansen van Rensburg, Kruger, Coetzee, Van der Merwe, Paulo

Cons: Jasper 2, Makhaza 3

Yellow cards: Gideon van der Merwe (Cheetahs, 30' – cynical play, playing the ball on the ground); Vernon Paulo (Cheetahs, 80' – foul play, no-arms tackle)

Teams:

Boland Cavaliers: 15 James Tedder, 14 Marcqiewn Titus, 13 David Brits, 12 Lunathi Nxele, 11 Donavan Don, 10 Ashlon Davids (vice-captain), 9 Chriswill September, 8 Sibusiso Sangweni, 7 Khwezi Mafu, 6 Gift Dlamini, 5 Marlyn Williams (captain), 4 Michael Benadie, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Sidney Tobias, 1 Wayrin Losper.

Replacements: 16 HP van Schoor, 17 Lamla Nunu, 18 Laurence Victor, 19 Ameer Hendricks, 20 Thurlow Marsh, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Juan Mostert, 23 Xavier Mitchell.

Cheetahs: 15 Cohen Jasper, 14 Ntokozo Makhaza, 13 Marco Janse van Vuuren, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Banie Britz, 10 Ethan Wentzel, 9 Rewan Kruger, 8 Neels Volschenk, 7 Pierre-Raymond Uys, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Pieter Jansen van Vuren, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 2 Marco Janse van Rensburg, 1 Hencus van Wyk.

Replacements: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Ben Pitout, 19 Sisonke Vumazonke, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Jandre Nel, 22 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 23 Clayton Blommetjies.

Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)

Assistant referees: Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa), Juan de Bod (South Africa)

TMO: Egon Seconds (South Africa)