Coach Hawies Fourie praised captain Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn for helping to lead the Cheetahs’ comeback victory over Western Province on Friday.

WP led 16-7 at half time at Cape Town Stadium and then extended their lead when Angelo Davids scored in the 51st minute.

But the Cheetahs rallied to score 21 unanswered points, clinching the 28-21 win to reclaim top spot in the Currie Cup with a game in hand over the Vodacom Bulls.

Speaking post-match on the performance of 38-year-old Pienaar, Fourie said: “Ruan is a special person and player. He’s got all the skills and a calm head on his shoulders. 

“Everyone in the team knows that if Ruan talks, you must listen and he will talk sense. You’ve got to step up and do what he asks, and it’s great to have a leader like him in the team.”

The Cheetahs boss was also pleased with Steyn’s Man of the Match heroics, but said he almost substituted the two-time World Cup winner in the second half.

Fourie said: “If I’m honest, Frans didn’t have a great first half and there was a time there where I thought I might have to make a change. 

“In the second half, he carried well and got the gainline for us and kicked a lot better. It’s difficult in this stadium with the wind swirling and we’re not used to it, so it took him some time to adapt.

“The most important message was discipline,” he added. “We conceded 12 penalties before half time and only got three … you can’t play without the ball and we just conceded penalties all the time.

“I told the guys we were against the ropes at half time, but we showed a lot of character to pull it through.”