Toyota Free State Cheetahs vs DHL Western Province – Bloem set for a humdinger
DHL Western Province looseforward Nick Koster scoring against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in last -years' fixture. Photo by Denese Lups.
Morgan Piek – This coming weekend arguably one of the biggest matches of the 2012 ABSA Currie Cup season will be taking place in Bloemfontein. The men from Cape Town, DHL Western Province will be travelling to the Free State to take on the Toyota Free State Cheetahs on Saturday evening.
Due to the ABSA Currie Cup being scaled down to accommodate just six teams, as was the case in the past, the Worlds’ oldest and toughest domestic rugby competition once again lives up to that reputation. After four rounds nobody would have guessed a team could be number one, one week and dropped down to fourth the following week. Or, climb from fifth to second.
Taking a look at the log and results thus far it’s not hard to work out why the Toyota Free State Cheetahs vs. DHL Western Province game on Saturday is a crunch match and set to be a humdinger. Both sides have suffered enormously in with injuries, none more so than in the loose-forward department. Big names such as Schalk Burger, Siya Kolisi, Nick Koster and Heinrich Brussow are all still on the injury list, although early reports suggest Springbok Heinrich Brussow will be making his return this coming weekend, albeit for a 30 minute stint.
Despite injuries and National call-ups plaguing both sides, both have managed to make do with what they have and are lying pretty well on the log as it stands. DHL Western Province in the second spot, while the Toyota Free State Cheetahs claim the third spot.
These two bitter rivals are lying so close to each other at the moment that it’s a mere bonus point separating the two of them on the log. Both have managed to score 113 thus far, although the Toyota Free State Cheetahs have conceded more. This bares testament to DHL Western Provinces’ defensive effort. This stat will most likely be the most important stat in determining the winner, come Saturday evening.
With the Toyota Free State Cheetahs scoring 11 tries and conceding 12 it’s clear that they are leaking, as they have done the entire 2012. DHL Western Province on the other hand have scored 12 tries and conceded 7. Not overly impressive, but affective nonetheless.
The men from the Cape and the “States” have won two games and lost two games each this season. The remarkable thing about that stat is that they both beat the Vodacom Blue Bulls and GWK Griquas. On the flipside of the coin, they both lost to the MTN Golden Lions and The Sharks.
Saturday against The Sharks in Durban, the Toyota Free State Cheetahs played the majority of the game brilliantly and should have rounded the game off better. Despite the diehard Free State supporters calling for the heads of Sias Ebersohn and Naka Drotské, I fail to see how these two individuals lost the game for the Free State Cheetahs, despite having watched the game three times. The game was lost because of a lap in concentration brought on by a tremendous Sharks onslaught. This resulted in a poorly executed Garryowen which saw the home side scoring a well deserved try. It’s an old thing with the Toyota Free State Cheetahs and appears to be psychological more than anything else, their Western Province counterparts will be well aware of this fact.
Nonetheless, the Toyota Free State Cheetahs are a very dangerous side, especially when they are feeling confident; with the imminent return of Heinrich Brussow and the sensational Raymond Rhule on the wing the Cheetahs have a lot of reason to be confident. Having beaten the Vodacom Blue Bulls at home should add to that confidence as well. Proving to themselves they can beat big times is important for the teams moral.
With four tries from four Currie Cup games this season, the young Ghanaian born winger is without a doubt a very important element in the Toyota Free State Cheetahs setup. I will go as far as to say he may very well be the next Springbok to come from Central South Africa.
DHL Western Province haven’t had a dream start to the season themselves, however, they will be riding high on confidence after severely thrashing their arch-enemy, the Vodacom Blue Bulls in Cape Town last weekend. This self-confidence is a double-edged sword in a way, as it could make them a very dangerous outfit, or could make them complacent and sink them.
As with every Cheetahs-Western Province game, it will be an epic encounter and will provide some thrilling, entertaining rugby.
Toyota Free State Cheetahs 2012 results:
MTN Golden Lions – Lost 20-43
Vodacom Blue Bulls – Won 32-18
GWK Griqus – Won 29-16
The Sharks – Lost 32-34
DHL Western Province2012 results:
The Sharks – Lost 23-25
GWK Griquas – Won 25-20
MTN Golden Lions – Lost 23-26
Vodacom Blue Bulls – Won 42-6
Toyota Free State Cheetahs and DHL Western Province log position:
| Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | TF | TA | BP -7 | BP T | Pts |
| The Sharks | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 111 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| WP | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 113 | 77 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| FS Cheetahs | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 113 | 111 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Lions | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 115 | 115 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Blue Bulls | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 101 | 125 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Griquas | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 98 | 121 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
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