Super Rugby: Cheetahs enjoy commanding win v Southern Kings
The Cheetahs closed in on Conference leaders Bulls with a comfortable 26-12 victory against bottom side Southern Kings.
Last Updated: 27/04/13 9:38pm
The hosts dominated from start to finish at the Free State Stadium, with their only sour note being their failure to grab the bonus point that would have taken them level with the Bulls.
Captain Adriaan Strauss had two chances to go for a fourth try late on, but each time chose to take a kick at goal and time ran out before they could cross the line again.
The Kings are now languishing at the foot of their domestic Conference as they slip 13 points adrift of the team above them and will now almost certainly have a play-off with the relegated Lions at the end of the season to remain in Super Rugby.
After completing a ten-week stretch of games, the Cheetahs now take a week off before returning for their final push towards the play-offs.
"It was a very tough game, it was very physical," Strauss said. "We backed ourselves to score a fourth try in the final 13 minutes and we almost did. The bye has come at a welcome time."
Raymond Rhule, Lappies Labuschagne, Willie le Roux scored the tries for the Cheetahs, with Burton Francis kicking a conversion and three penalties.
The struggling Kings failed to score a try, with Demetri Catrakilis kicking four penalties, making for another frustrating game for skipper Andries Strauss, cousin of Cheetahs captain Adriaan.
"We were just not good enough to get a win tonight," said Andries Strauss. "We made a lot of mistakes at crucial times of the game again and allowed the Cheetahs to score some easy tries and they punished us.
"It is tough to get a win against any of the South African sides, but we will have to work on our mistakes and up our game."