14-man Cats stage comeback to defeat Chiefs

Cats 21 Chiefs 16


CAPE TOWN - The Cats, reduced to 14 men in the first half, staged a stirring fightback to beat the Chiefs 21-16 in their Super 14 match in Johannesburg early today.

Lock Willem Stoltz was shown the red card for kicking Chiefs number eight Sione Lauaki and first five-eighths Stephen Donald kicked the resulting 38th-minute penalty to push the New Zealanders into a 16-9 lead in greasy conditions at Ellis Park.

Tenacious defence and the introduction of Springbok prop Lawrence Sephaka and lock Kleinjan Tromp gave the home team more power in the pack to cope with being a man down and they notched 12 points without reply in the second half.

"The red card was actually good for us," Cats coach Frans Ludeke told reporters. "After that incident we seemed to pull together as a team.

"Defence ultimately pulled us through and there is only one place you can find defence like that and that's in your heart. We showed a lot of guts out there."

SIX PENALTIES

First five-eighths Tiaan Snyman booted six penalties for the Cats while Donald registered three penalties and a conversion for the Chiefs.

Snyman put the South Africans in front for the first time when he slotted his fifth penalty with six minutes to go. He then secured victory with another penalty from 40 metres.

"The win was absolutely vital for us," said Cats captain Wikus van Heerden. "After we were a man down I just told the team 'we have to do it'.

"I'm proud of the way they responded and pulled together."

Although the Cats dominated possession in the first half, it was the Chiefs who led at the break thanks to an excellent 27th-minute try from Sam Tuitupou, who brushed past four tackles in a jinking run.

It was the second defeat in the tournament for the Chiefs while the Cats atoned for last week's home defeat at the hands of local rivals the Stormers.

The Cats, who have four points from two games, are eighth in the standings. The Chiefs, on one point, are 11th.

Cats 21 (Tiaan Snyman 6, Earl Rose penalty goals)
Chiefs 16 (Sam Tuitupou try; Luke Donald conversion; Donald 3 penalty goals)
Referee: Stuart Dickinson, Australia. Crowd: 15,787.

- REUTERS