There are many images of on field happenings in Currie Cup finals that have endured over a period of many years, but there was one abiding memory from the epic 2005 domestic decider in Pretoria that didn’t happen on the field of play – Ollie le Roux puffing on a cigar afterwards.
The game itself provided many thrilling memories, and no Cheetahs fan will forget Meyer Bosman catching a bouncing ball to score the try that clinched an upset 29-25 win over the Bulls. It was one of the big shock results in the history of Currie Cup finals, rivalling those in 1990 (when Natal won in Pretoria) and 1970, when Griquas pipped what was then Northern Transvaal in Kimberley.
As Le Roux, who was playing out his career in South Africa at the province where he’d started his rugby journey after nine mostly successful seasons with the Sharks, recalls it, the Cheetahs had been well beaten by the Bulls in the league phase of the competition. The Bulls were gaining impressive momentum under the coaching of Heyneke Meyer, and it was right that they were expected to win easily.