With flyhalf Siya Masuku directing the attack, a second-half surge carried the Cheetahs to an emphatic road win over the Vodacom Bulls on Wednesday night.

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The Bulls suffered a setback to their hopes of making it three Currie Cup championships in a row after they were beaten resoundingly at Loftus Versfeld by a fired-up Cheetahs side.

The visitors dialled up the pressure in the second half to come away with a 38-25 victory.

The Bulls looked in the ascendency in the first half as they opened the scoring through flyhalf Chris Smith before debutant No 8 Cameron Hanekom stormed in for a try to put the Bulls in the driving seat.

The Cheetahs responded with tries of their own through hooker Louis van der Westhuizen and fullback Clayton Blommetjies, but it was the Bulls who held a slender one-point lead at the break after wing Stravino Jacobs scored a late try to put them back in the lead.

As closely fought as the first half was, the second stanza became one-way traffic.

Yellow cards for Reinhardt Ludwig and Lizo Gqoboka compounded the Bulls’ misery at a misfiring lineout and the Cheetahs ran in tries through Aidon Davis, Andisa Ntsila and a second for Van der Westhuizen.

And flyer Sibongile Novuka’s solitary score in response from the Bulls was not enough to bring them back into the contest.