The unbeaten Cheetahs summited the Currie Cup table after scoring three tries en route to a convincing victory over the Pumas in Nelspruit on Saturday.

Though the Cheetahs’ log lead was dependent on the result of the match between the Lions and Sharks at Ellis Park, the men from Bloemfontein would have taken great pride from the achievement after a dominant second-half performance against the Pumas led to a 28-17 win on the road.

The Cheetahs made the trip from Bloemfontein looking to make it three wins from three in their Currie Cup campaign. It was, however, the hosts who put the first points on the board from the boot of flyhalf Eddie Fouche in the second minute.

The visitors drew level two minutes later after veteran Ruan Pienaar kicked a penalty to open his side’s account. Two tries followed, by Gideon van der Merwe and Clayton Blommetjies, to stretch the Cheetahs’ lead – good reward for ambitious and slick attacking play.

After appearing to be shell-shocked in the opening 20 minutes, the Pumas started to find their feet. They counter-punched and managed to win three penalties, all duly converted by Fouche, to inch their way back into the contest. At half time the score read 15-12 to the visitors.

The second half continued the trend of Cheetahs dominance. Louis van der Westhuizen scored five minutes after the break, with Pienaar adding the extras to stretch the Cheetahs’ lead to 10 points.

The Pumas hit back with a try of their own through Eduan Swart to keep them in the contest. However, ultimately it would prove insufficient as the Cheetahs continued to turn the screw.

Two more penalties by Ruan Pienaar and a long-distance effort from Frans Steyn put the result beyond doubt. The Cheetahs have now made it three consecutive wins in the Currie Cup and this victory takes them to the top of the table.