Aphiwe Dyantyi scored a second-half brace as the Vodacom Bulls snatched a late draw with the Cheetahs to stay unbeaten in the Currie Cup in Bloemfontein on Friday.

Two second-half tries from Dyantyi, together with a late 50-metre penalty from fullback Boeta Chamberlain, helped the Vodacom Bulls hold out for a 34-34 draw, after leading by seven points at half time.

Returning Springbok wing Canan Moodie picked up a try-assist early in the second half as the unbeaten Bulls opened up a 24-3 lead, looking for their first win in Bloemfontein since 2018.

However, the Cheetahs produced a powerful response, hitting back through four consecutive tries, the comeback getting started by No 8 Friedle Olivier, before Cohen Jasper, Munier Hartzenberg and Carl Wegner dotted down.

An exhilarating finish saw Dyantyi latch onto Chamberlain’s cross field kick to score his second try, but replacement hooker Vernon Paulo went over from a driving maul to give the Cheetahs a three-point lead going into the final five minutes.

Chamberlain then held his nerve to slot a penalty from just behind the halfway line, before the Bulls opted not to attack from a scrum inside their own half, settling for the draw to stay top of the table.

The Bulls will next travel to Nelspruit to take on the Pumas, while the Cheetahs head down to Cape Town for a duel with DHL Western Province.

Photo: Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images