Fudge Mabeta gets a taste of Ashley Johnson's boot

A few days ago the featured Currie Cup match was the intense clash between the Bulls and the Cheetahs that was won with a dramatic late try. As with all classics, the game was action packed with many incidents. This was just one of those.

Ashley Johnson is a young eighthman from the Cheetahs whose hard running and high work rate earned him a place on tour with the Springboks last year. It was a disastrous tour but he was one of the few players that impressed. He picked up an injury but this year has already shown the same kind of form in the first few rounds of the Currie Cup.

Against the Bulls he carried the ball regularly, bashing it up and never afraid to take contact. He also played a significant role in the match winning try right at the end.

"I am not the fancy-rugby type. I enjoy playing a direct game, carrying the ball and bashing people out of the way. My role for the Cheetahs is to develop forward momentum and get us over the advantage line," he says of his game.

As you can see in this clip, he takes the ball from the restart, as he did all game, and as he sets off gets brought down by a brave tackle from young Blue Bulls lock Fudge Mabeta. Yes, Fudge , although the name on his birth certificate is Mthunzi.

As you can see, poor Mabeta gets a massive Johnson heel square in the nose. He went off, got it cleaned up, and returned to the field sporting a rather large and uncomfortable looking noseplug. Look out for Johnson this season though, and indeed in the future, as he seems a real prospect.

I'm sure many of you out there have taken a boot to the face in similar fashion before.


Time: 0:52

Posted at 9:06 pm | 19 comments

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