A year on and the Absa Currie Cup has changed very little. Not even the mangled and unnecessary manner in which the format of the tournament was changed has managed to lead the tournament down a different path.

The Cheetahs beat Western Province again, the Blue Bulls once more stumbled but recovered against the Lions at Loftus, and, for the second year in succession, the Cheetahs will be forced to make a journey to Pretoria if they want to win the Currie Cup.

Once again, the Cheetahs think they can be the team to halt the rumbling stampede of the Blue Bulls at Loftus, with Naka Drotkse taking the role as confidence trickster after his team had beaten Province at Newlands on Saturday.

"The Bulls are beatable, if we can get our line-out right. One thing about the Bulls is that you know exactly how they are going to play," said the Free State captain.

'The Bulls are beatable'

Perhaps, but as Wikus van Heerden and Frans Ludeke found out at Loftus on Saturday, you may know exactly how the Bulls are going to play, but knowing and stopping them playing that way are entirely different things.

The Lions knew how the Bulls were going to play, and took it to them in the opening 10 minutes, scoring a point for every one of those minutes to go 10-0 up. For 30 minutes they had the Bulls falling backward over themselves, but then the Bulls played the way everyone, Drotske included, knows they play.

"If you thought the changeroom was bad last year, you want to see it now," said a rueful Van Heerden on Saturday. "We had planned to come out at them hard from the start. If you want to beat the Bulls you have to take the game to them and we did that."

The Lions forced the Bulls into conceding four penalties in the first five minutes, mainly for infringements around the rucks, which angered Heyneke Meyer, who said that it was "unacceptable" by his team. The Lions harried the Bulls into mistakes.

Van Heerden, who is, along with Anton Leonard, one of the favourites to be named as the Absa Currie Cup player of the year next week, is an inspirational captain who lifts a tight five that is not all it should be and, if the Lions are to be a force next year, will need shoring up.

'This Bulls side has tons of character'

André Pretorius's penalty in the first minute opened up the scoring in a first half that the Lions dominated. Wayne Julies scored two sweet tries, complete with celebratory goose-steps, but Pedrie Wannenburg's try five minutes before the half-time whistle and Leonard's try early in the second half turned the match around.

Akona Nudungane's try gave the Bulls a cushion, but the Lions pushed hard and it was only when Morné Steyn slotted over a penalty three minutes from time that the destiny of the match was decided.

"Semifinals and finals are about showing character," said Meyer. "This Bulls side has tons of character, but I was angry at half-time.

We didn't play well in the first half. The guys were too eager, not focused enough. I knew when we trailed 17-6 we'd have to get points and then score again quickly. Pedrie's try just before half-time and Anton's just after the break brought us right back into the game. Anton's try was a gem - you don't often see No 8s running around a wing."

"We started really well," said Ludeke, "but then we let ourselves down by making mistakes. Our set pieces were not as good as they can be, especially the line-outs, and we gave up possession too easily. But it was a battle royal out there. I think that ourselves and the Bulls are the two best sides in the Currie Cup."

The intensity of the semifinal has created two injury worries for the Bulls. Leonard had to leave the field after falling awkwardly on his shoulder and Meyer said that he was worried about Gary Botha, who had to leave the field late in the game.

The Cheetahs are worried about the fitness of Boela du Plooy, who had to be replaced by Corniel van Zyl in the semifinal. While Van Zyl did well, Rassie Erasmus was lamenting another injured tight forward. "Seven of our locks have been injured this season. I don't know what to do."

Loftus will be an emotional place to be next week, with many of the Bulls players carrying the memory of Ettienne Botha with them.

Meyer cautioned that the emotion had to be given direction. This is, after all, the Currie Cup final: "Ettienne is in our hearts, but I don't want us to lose focus. The Cheetahs aren't coming to Loftus to lose."

But then no one comes to Lotfus to lose. It just seems to end up happening.

Man of the Match

Some Lions supporters will point to the fact that Enrico Januarie wasn't available as to why Fourie du Preez was able to influence Saturday's semifinal so profoundly.

But even the livewire Januarie would have had his hands full with Du Preez's Joost-like breaks and quick and sure clearances when under pressure - although that pressure diminished as the game wore on and the Bulls pack took control.

Perhaps the best example of why Jake White will be praying that Du Preez is available to wear the Bok No 9 jersey come next month was his miraculous pass out of the tackle after another deadly break which put Akona Ndungane away for his try, and the lead.

• This article was originally published on page 5 of The Star on October 17, 2005