Blue Bulls win Currie Cup

The Blue Bulls beat the Cheetahs 36 - 24 in an action-packed Currie Cup final at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, adding the Currie Cup to their Super 14 trophy they won earlier this year when they beat the Chiefs in May. The Bulls are the first franchise to win both competitions in the same year.

The Blue Bulls were 24 - 0 ahead after only 25 minutes through tries by Francois Hougaard and Bryan Habana (who is moving to Cape Town next year to play for WP) and one would have thought it was 'game over' at the time, but the Cheetahs produced a great comeback by scoring three tries (Viljoen, Uys and Breedt).

In the end the Blue Bulls' discipline was better since the Cheetahs gave away penalties at crucial times which Bulls flyhalf Morné Steyn had no problem slotting over. Fourie Du Preez, rated as the best scrumhalf in the world at present, had a huge influence on the match.

Scorers:
Vodacom Blue Bulls - Tries: Francois Hougaard, Bryan Habana (2). Conversions: Morne Steyn (3). Penalties: Steyn (4). Dropped goal: Steyn.
Vodacom Free State Cheetahs - Tries: Frans Viljoen, Corne Uys, Nico Breedt. Conversions: Jacques-Louis Potgieter (3). Dropped goal: Potgieter.

Joost van der Westhuizen

Former Springbok scrumhalf and Bulls captain, Joost van der Westhuizen, who played 89 tests for South Africa and scored 38 tries (still a record for most tries by a Springbok) has recently been dumped in controversy when a video was released showing him snorting drugs and fooling around with a stripper while being recorded by hidden camera (see video clips here). Joost has vehemently denied it was him in the tape and has vowed to take everyone to court who slandered his name.

Yesterday it was front page news that he finally admitted that it actually was him in the video (I don't think anyone had any doubt). He openly lied to his fans and wife, singer Amor Vittone. He was earlier suspended by Supersport as TV presenter but has now been fired after his admission, claiming it would hurt their brand if they didn't.

Everyone obviously makes mistakes but if you're a public figure then this sort of incident will always be front page news. People are praising Joost for admitting his mistake but it's rather cheesy considering that he only admitted it since he got caught. Evangelist Angus Buchan persuaded him to take responsibility for his actions. Joost's biography, "Spieëlbeeld", is currently on sale.

Credit: Bulls photo taken by Christiaan Kotzé