Scrumming let Cheetahs down
21 Jan 2006
While Cheetahs coach Rassie Erasmus was smiling after his side’s 29-19 win against the Force in Perth, he admitted there was plenty of work to be done before their first Super 14 game of the season.
“It was a great effort to come back from 14-3 [after 20 minutes],” Erasmus told keo.co.za after the game. “Some people questioned the value of playing a pre-season fixture in Australia, but it was a fantastic experience for the guys. They also had no problems with jet lag, which was pleasing.”
The Cheetahs’ Currie Cup victory last year was thanks mainly to the effort of their pack – who competed so well with the Bulls in the final – but Erasmus said his forwards weren’t at their best in Perth.
“The backs were very physical, but our scrumming wasn’t that great,” he admitted. “That’s an area of our game we need to focus on over the next couple of weeks.”
Meanwhile, Force lock John Welborne said his side would take plenty of positives from the game.
“We showed the way we would like to play in the Super 14 [by throwing the ball around],” he said. “The Cheetahs have got a reputation for being a big tight five and good at scrumming. We held them well early on, but we are disappointed at having given away a try from a line-out.”
6 Comments
22 Jan 2006, 19:36 pm
Well done Rassie’s mob.
Hope the Sharks Stuff you.
23 Jan 2006, 03:44 am
Even though I am in Perth and being a Sharks supporter, I just had to scream… VRRYYYYYYSTTAAAAAAAATTTTTT
The day was really warm, but the bloody wind chill was terrible at night, I’m sure that all of the 17,000+ crowd were frozen by the end of the game.
23 Jan 2006, 06:10 am
groen_en_goud
what was your take on the game? it’s difficult to find unbiased reports on the game.
23 Jan 2006, 07:13 am
The amount of kicking that occurred from both sides during the game came as a surprise to me considering the constant swirling breeze.
The Cheetahs Scrum-half was on the ball, but the loose forwards were almost always second to the breakdown. Quite a few times when a Cheetah broke through (not very often mind you) and got tackled further down the field, their was no one to protect or recieve the ball.
Early on the scrums and rolling mauls were fairly even, but as the game went on, the Cheetahs pack was totally dominant, making the Force look like amateurs.
The Western Force backline certainly impressed me with their running, and linebreaks. Their loose forwards are also something to watch out for.
23 Jan 2006, 11:36 am
thanks g&g
24 Jan 2006, 08:54 am
Must be a hell of a confidence booster for one of our sides to go over and win. lets hope they keep it up.
Any of our sides that play a foreign team have to be supported by everyone.
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