ACT Brumbies edge Cheetahs 15-13 to reach Super 15 rugby semi-finals
Benjamin took the field as a late replacement and caught a pass from scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius outside the last defender to score a try that gave the Cheetahs hope of prolonging their best-ever season.
The ACT Brumbies hung on to beat the Cheetahs 15-13 in a tight Super Rugby play-off match yesterday, as Riaan Smit's attempted conversion of Ryno Benjamin's last-minute try, which would have taken the match to extra time, glanced off the goalposts.
Benjamin took the field as a late replacement and caught a pass from scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius outside the last defender to score a try that gave the Cheetahs hope of prolonging their best-ever season.
Smit, who had kicked only one of his three previous shots at goal, lined up the conversion from the left-hand touchline and into the teeth of a bitter wind.
His powerful kick arced towards the posts but, at the last second, drifted away and just brushed the left-hand post.
In a match in which goalkicks were decisive, Wallabies inside centre Christian Leali'ifano shrugged off two early misses to nail four penalties for the Brumbies, who will face the Pretoria-based Bulls in this weekend's semi-finals.
The Christchurch-based Crusaders will play the Hamilton-based Chiefs, the defending champions, in an all-New Zealand semi-final after their 38-9 win over the Queensland Reds on Saturday.