The Free State Cheetahs and Blue Bulls took contrasting routes to first appearances in the Currie Cup final for seven years. Cheetahs, who topped the regular season standings by winning all eight games, thrashed title-holders Golden Lions 56-17 in Bloemfontein, with Sergeal Petersen scoring a hat-trick.In contrast, Ivan van Zyl scored with two minutes remaining in Pretoria to earn the Bulls a 36-30 victory over Western Province in the other semi-final after a thriller featuring flawless goal-kicking. Bulls defeated Cheetahs in the 2009 final, but finishing higher on the log means the Bloemfontein outfit enjoy home advantage next Saturday, and will start as slight favourites.Free State Cheetahs 56-17 Golden LionsA mix of clinical finishing and aggressive defending by Cheetahs and the sin-binning of Lion Cyle Brink allowed the hosts to build a 26-0 half-time lead at Free State Stadium.That advantage stretched to 33 points before Lions got on the scoreboard with a line-out leading to an opportunity for substitute Sylvian Mahuza to score.However, there was no dramatic comeback from the Johannesburg outfit, even though Cheetahs were twice reduced to 14 men when Ryno Benjamin and Paul Schoeman received yellow cards.The home side scored three more tries through Benjamin, Clayton Blommetjies and Petersen to win by a comfortable margin. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. A neck injury that forced Lions prop Julian Redelinghuys off the field will be a concern for Springboks coach Allister Coetzee ahead of a four-match tour to England, Italy and Wales during November.Blue Bulls 36-30 Western ProvinceProvince came to Loftus Versfeld stadium seeking a hat-trick of semi-final victories over the Bulls, having beaten them by five and eight points in the past two seasons.After the two most successful Currie Cup teams, with 56 titles between them, scored a converted try each, Bulls Tian Schoeman slotted three penalties to create a nine-point gap.That was trimmed to a 16-10 lead by half-time after rival No 10 Robert du Preez kicked a penalty.Province led three times in the second half and Bulls twice, before Van Zyl struck the crucial blow. When a Bulls surge was held up just short of the try-line, Van Zyl gained possession and evaded a tackle by fellow substitute Scott van Breda to score.Schoeman converted from near the touchline to complete a perfect goal-kicking performance with eight consecutive successes from the tee.He also stretched his lead over Curwin Bosch of Sharks to 31 points in the race to finish leading scorer in the Currie Cup this season.Du Preez was an equally impressive goal-kicker, slotting his six attempts between the posts.You can watch Liverpool v Man Utd, plus Englands tour of Bangladesh and the British Masters on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy six months at half price! Also See: Rugby on Sky Follow @SkySportsRugby Pundits Fixtures and results Amir Coffey Clippers Jersey . 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Gustafsson controlled the first round after getting top position on a throw, and came out much more forcefully in the second, buckling Manuwa with a Muay Thai knee, and finishing him off with strikes on the ground. Maurice Harkless Clippers Jersey . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void.NEW YORK – These are busy times for Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis. Theres the upcoming draft in Philadelphia, a coaching staff to round out and a roster requiring some alterations and likely upheaval following another late season collapse. First up is the draft. The Leafs hold the eighth overall pick in a class thats more or less unpredictable – especially at the top. Nonis, attending the GM meetings in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, reiterated what was first reported in the Toronto Sun, that his club would be open to moving up from their current perch or staying put if the price was too high. "Youve got a pretty good chance of getting a good player at eight or four," he said. "For us to move up the price tag would have to reflect that fact." Panthers general manager Dale Tallon is reported to have been actively shopping the first overall pick in a 2014 collection that lacks any clear-cut top prospect; defenceman Aaron Ekblad, as well as centres Sam Bennett, Leon Drasaitl, and Sam Reinhart are among the names in contention. Nonis went with a hulking, defensively-aware centre in Frederik Gauthier a year ago – his first draft as the Leafs boss – but is almost certain to add skill with the eighth pick this time around. "I wouldnt say its a priority that were going to go for the most skilled player," Nonis explained, "but I think the players that are going to be available in the top eight by and large are skill players so because of that fact theres a good chance thats what you end up with." Lacking in high-end deptth organizationally down the middle, the Leafs are likely to miss out on the top-end centres (Bennett, Draisaitl, Reinhart) if they stick with their current pick, but could lean in the direction of Sault St.dddddddddddd Marie pivot Jared McCann or a promising bunch of big, high-scoring wingers – Michael Dal Colle, Nick Ritchie, Brendan Perlini, Jake Virtanen – not to mention speedy, skilled types in Nikolaj Ehlers and Willie Nylander. "I think all those guys have ability," Nonis said. "Its not one [of those drafts] where youre going to get a hard-nosed plugger or shutdown defenceman; I think even the guys who are more rugged theres some pretty good players there." The search for a coaching staff to surround incumbent Randy Carlyle continues additionally. Opting to keep Carlyle as the lead bench boss in early May, the Leafs fired assistants Dave Farrish, Scott Gordon and Greg Cronin. Nonis declined to say how many candidates had been interviewed for jobs on the staff nor how many would interviewed in the future. "Id like to have it done sooner rather than later, but theres still quite a few people to go through and were not going to rush it," he said. As far an impending pack of free agents that includes Mason Raymond, Nik Kulemin, Dave Bolland and Jay McClement, Nonis hadnt ruled any out from a return to the club next season; the Leafs have had preliminary discussions with the Bolland camp. Nonis wouldnt rule out a return for former Leaf Leo Komarov, who plans to return to the NHL, though only at the right price-point. ' ' '