SA teams aim to get off the mark in Guinness PRO14
The Isuzu Southern Kings and Toyota Cheetahs will be determined to get off the mark in the Guinness PRO14 on Saturday with an eye on building momentum before returning to South Africa for the next two rounds.
The Isuzu Southern Kings will face the Dragons in Newport, and the Toyota Cheetahs will meet the Ospreys in Swansea in their second round of away matches.
In Newport, the Isuzu Southern Kings will draw inspiration from their 45-13 victory against the Dragons in Port Elizabeth in March as they go in search of their first away win in the competition. Both sides suffered defeats in the opening round and will be determined to get their campaigns on track.
But with the Dragons – with former DHL Stormers prop Brok Harris and Springbok fullback Zane Kirchner in their ranks – hurting from a narrow 21-17 victory on their home patch against Benetton, coach Deon Davids’ men will be wary of the challenge ahead.
The team showed promise last weekend against Zebre Rugby Club, and they will look to build on this by creating more try-scoring chances and tightening up their defence this week.
In Swansea, the Toyota Cheetahs will target a massive step-up against the Ospreys, who opened up their campaign on winning note last week against Edinburgh with a narrow 17-13 home win. The Free Staters will be determined to deliver a much stronger performance on attack and defence this week to emerge victorious.
The Toyota Cheetahs’ previous performances against Ospreys, however, will boost their confidence going into the clash, as they registered a 44-25 victory against them in Bloemfontein last season, while they suffered a heart-breaking 27-26 defeat in their last encounter at the Liberty Stadium in February.
Unfortunately for the Toyota Cheetahs, their captain, Oupa Mohoje, has been ruled out due to injury, which prompted coach Franco Smith to draft Gerhard Olivier into his squad.
Guinness PRO14 Round 2 fixtures:
Dragons v Isuzu Southern Kings
Date: Saturday, 8 September
SA time: 16h00
Venue: Rodney Parade, Newport
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)
Assistant referees: Nigel Correll (IRFU), Gwyn Morris (WRU)
TMO: Sean Brickell (WRU)
TV: SuperSport 6
Ospreys v Toyota Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 8 September
SA time: 18h30
Venue: Liberty Stadium, Swansea
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (IRFU), Gareth John (WRU)
TMO: Tim Hayes
TV: SuperSport 1
Other Round 2 action (SA kick-off times):
Friday, 7 September:
20h35: Glasgow Warriors v Munster – Scoutstoun Stadium, Glasgow
20h35: Ulster Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby – Kingspan Stadium, Belfast
Saturday, 8 September:
18h15: Connacht Rugby v Zebre Rugby Club – The Sportsground, Galway
20h35: Scarletts v Leinster Rugby – Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli
20h35: Benetton Rugby v Cardiff Blues – Stadio Monigo, Treviso
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