Vodacom Super Rugby | Cheetahs vs Cell C Sharks
This Saturday sees the Cell C Sharks travelling to Bloemfontein to take on the Cheetahs in our team’s second consecutive match against South African opposition in Week Five Vodacom Super Rugby action.
Last week’s derby was competitive and the expectation is that this week’s clash of the old foes will be just as action-packed.
Both teams have returning players and both did not perform to their own high standards last weekend. We, fortunately, came out on the right side of the scoreboard, but not the Cheetahs who need a win as much as we do to maintain the fight to stay in the reckoning for a place in the knock-out rounds.
“We’ve put the Kings’ match behind us and we’ve had a very good week and the guys have been really energised at practice,” said head coach Robert du Preez. “We’re ready to go; This is a really big game for us.”
Having rested three Springboks for last week’s game, the trio returned with renewed vigour and will look to make a strong contribution on Saturday.
“They’re rested and good to go and guys like Coenie and Beast bring massive energy at the practice sessions.”
There will need to be a very energetic effort from our team against a side that loves nothing less than playing running, attacking rugby.
“They’re a very good team and this is a massive game for us. They have their captain, Francois Venter, back this weekend and they’ve assembled a very strong team. We know what to expect of them. They’re a side that loves to attack, so from a defensive point of view, we’re going to have to be very sharp.”
He admitted that he has plenty of respect for his counterpart, Cheetahs coach Franco Smith.
“He’s a very good coach and he played for them for many years. The brand of rugby they play has been synonymous with the Cheetahs for many years, although he’s made a huge difference since he’s been, coach. We have to be on top of our game defensively.”
While talk is cheap, du Preez admitted that they have had a good build-up to the game, with hard work being put in over the last few months, but that promises must be backed up with action.
“We’ve had such a fantastic pre-season and a lot of hard work went into that. We’ve had a good start to the season, the Reds match was one we should have won, so there are very good signs of what this team can do. And it’s a very talented side. But it’s easy to talk, now it’s up to the individual players and the team.”
Despite winning last weekend, our team was disappointed with the collective performance and Captain Tera Mtembu explained that “We know what we did wrong, we know how to fix. Getting away from the humidity is going to be good, the guys are excited.”
He agreed that this match has all the elements of a classic Cell C Sharks – Cheetahs clash.
“It’s a massive game for both teams. They came up short against the Jaguares and we didn’t have our best performance. We also know that the Cheetahs always deliver at home and we just want to put in a performance we can be proud of.”
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