First challenge for the champs
11 Jul 2006
After conquering mediocre opposition in the first three rounds, Rassie Erasmus believes his side will obtain a clearer view of their standing after Saturday’s game at Newlands.
“It should be a hell of a close encounter,” Erasmus told keo.co.za. “I just remember from my playing days that it was never easy to go away from Newlands with a win. The difference should be a couple of points this weekend.”
The Vodacom Cheetahs have reached the half-century mark in all of their three matches, beating Griquas 55-14, the Valke 68-9 and the Lions 59-5, but another 50-pointer seems less likely against a vastly improved Vodacom Western Province.
“I don’t want to try and sound like I’m downplaying my side, but those big wins were against three teams finding their feet in the competition,” Erasmus said.
“The Valke are new to this level of rugby, whilst Griquas just snuck into the tournament through the back door. The Lions are a new side with a lot of young players that need time to adapt to the intensity.”
The Cheetahs will come up against a buoyant WP side, who achieved the improbable feat of taking the spoils at Loftus Versfeld last week.
“We struggled at the breakdown against the Lions, and this Saturday we are playing against a team that has really strong loose forwards in Justin Melck and Luke Watson,” Erasmus remarked. “Schalk Brits and Corne Uys also showed how good they are on the ground.”
The WP forwards continue to embarrass their critics by consistently performing in the set pieces. Lack of experience is yet to play a role, and Erasmus believes that the two teams are really quite similar in this respect.
“I’m tired of people saying that we have an experienced pack. Who had heard of Jaco du Toit before last year, or even Jannie du Plessis? Ollie (le Roux) remains the most experienced player in our front row, but the other guys have not been around for long at all.
“Both WP and the Cheetahs are similar in that they are playing well with a young and inexperienced side.”
Although Erasmus remains grounded about the Cheetahs progress, he is adamant that the team from Bloemfontein should record their fourth successive win this weekend.
“Like I said, it will be close, but I don’t think that they are the favourites.”
By Jon Cardinelli
43 Comments
11 Jul 2006, 16:29 pm
1?
11 Jul 2006, 16:30 pm
Yup!
11 Jul 2006, 16:37 pm
The only thing they will understand after this match is that they can beat WP
11 Jul 2006, 16:40 pm
WP to win a close one. By less than 5 points.
11 Jul 2006, 16:41 pm
cheethas will crush province
11 Jul 2006, 16:41 pm
It will be a cracker of a game! The States are on an amazing role and its nice to see. Nice young team…no big names yet, but they are building nicely. Along with the young WP, sharks and under-21 bulls, we should have a pretty exciting national team in the not too distant future. And hopefully Rassie will be involved in some coaching capacity.
11 Jul 2006, 16:41 pm
wpw
less than 5 points would be close, well done
11 Jul 2006, 16:44 pm
got a feeling WeePee might sneak it…
11 Jul 2006, 16:48 pm
wp by 10 – if luke has a good game.
11 Jul 2006, 16:59 pm
Hopefully the Cheetahs can reproduce the form they have shown in the past 3 games and WP can build on their Bulls performance and we should have a cracker of a game.
WP by 10.
11 Jul 2006, 17:03 pm
Luke Watson may well find that the Free State fetchers are more of a challenge than what he has had of late. Should be an absolute corker of a game! Rassie is going to be the difference in this one 15 point win to the OVS.
11 Jul 2006, 17:06 pm
…so Rassie…
The Cheetahs just have to pitch up… play a close game… and take home the points…???
Thought you were wiser than that…
11 Jul 2006, 17:10 pm
thanks to a province win last saturday i shot up remarkably in superbru.
i will wait for rassie’s team first and see who is on the subs bench.
11 Jul 2006, 17:12 pm
yoda
just like Province crushed the bulls on Sat?
11 Jul 2006, 17:47 pm
15-10 is hardly a crushing.
We will see on Saturday.
Watson again Henro.
Staat by 15 points and a bonus.
11 Jul 2006, 18:07 pm
i think the cheatahs will take it province think there problems r all over after beating the bulls
11 Jul 2006, 18:10 pm
“WP forwards continue to embaress their critics”
What a freakin joke JC. I dont think the province pack is bad – but they got scrummed all over Loftus this weekend, and lost some seriously basic line out ball the week prior.
Cheetahs will make province work for their ball this weekend. Watson will have to stick his head into those mauls, and help defend. Otherwise Ryno vd Merwe will continue his ridiculous try scoring streak.
States to win it by 10 points.
11 Jul 2006, 19:01 pm
Cheetahs to thomp WP with 40…..
11 Jul 2006, 19:03 pm
Ig WP by 10……ag no man….you biased if I’ve ever seen….
11 Jul 2006, 19:04 pm
The Sharks who beat the Lions with better kicking ratio beat WP and the Lions were wasted by the Cheetahs……
Cheetahs will thomp the peewee’s
11 Jul 2006, 19:04 pm
We will see about all this Luke Watson hype saturday, I think luke is in for a surprise or two…Hendro to captain the Boks after the coming world cup fiasco…
11 Jul 2006, 19:07 pm
PROOOOOOOOOOOVVVIIIIIIIINCEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!
11 Jul 2006, 19:10 pm
Province has the better backline. Cheetahs might be in for a surprise.
11 Jul 2006, 19:11 pm
Hmmmmmmmm – Outrageous prediction is my superbru strategy.
11 Jul 2006, 19:16 pm
Province are in for a good game…..
The cheetahs are a really good side all-round and very experienced in their own way.
Province does have an exciting side though with guys like Gio Aplon, Joe Pietersen, Zahier Ryhland, Sarel Potgieter, Robbie Diak and KING LUKE!
I am a very loyal, very fanatic and a very subjective WP supporter so my heart says WP but sadly my head says FS.
11 Jul 2006, 19:21 pm
Well, let me not comment on Superbru….I am like 4th last or something….
Will catch-up though
11 Jul 2006, 19:25 pm
I AM SUPERBRU KING!!!
In my pool at least………
11 Jul 2006, 21:19 pm
Cheetahs to put 45 past the goats !
11 Jul 2006, 21:24 pm
who’re you calling goats?
You must mean greats.
11 Jul 2006, 21:32 pm
Luke Watson druk nie baie drieë nie. Het julle gesien hoe hy te kere gegaan het toe hy wel ‘n drie teen die Sharks gedruk het?
11 Jul 2006, 21:47 pm
Luke watson hoef nie driee te druk nie jou idioot.
Hy wen die bal vir sy span en vertraag die ander span se balbesit en hy is ‘n meester daarin.
Lyk my die bulls se balbesit is nie die enigste ding wat vertraag is nie…..
11 Jul 2006, 22:43 pm
ufo
do you even understand english?
12 Jul 2006, 00:05 am
The Vrystaat het baie lanklaas teen die WP verloor. Dit bly lekker as WP verloor. En ja, die naweek was kak omdat die Bulle verloor het!
12 Jul 2006, 05:12 am
ufo, and where exactly does he say that. I read things like, clearer view, will be a close encounter, there will only be a couple of points in it and that they struggled at the breakdown last week.
Maybe GCC is spot one…plank!
12 Jul 2006, 08:03 am
GCC… Koos…
Read the article right through to the end… the last sentence…
“Like I said, it will be close, but I don’t think that they are the favourites.â€
How many teams in a rugby match…? So if Rassie doesn’t think Province are favourites who do you think he does think are favourites…?
So yes, Rassie does think he just has to pitch up and take the points…
GCC… sorry the Subtleties of the English language are beyond you… I’ll write more slowly in future…
12 Jul 2006, 08:14 am
So ufo, you believe weepee are the favourites then…? Maybe you should read the rest of the article and then comment, there are a number more subtleties you are missing!
12 Jul 2006, 08:30 am
Cheetahs to win comfortably. But wait…..
Hey who is the ref? If it’s Roos then Cheetahs will have problems in this match just like Sharks in the S14 and Bulls last Sat.
12 Jul 2006, 08:48 am
Koos…
Maybe you should read my posts more carefully… where did I say that I believe Province are favourites…?
Of coarse the Cheetahs are favourites… But these days coaches who go into games telling the press (however subtely) that they are favourites… well…? They normally just give the opposing coach ammo for his team talk don’t they…
Like I said… I thought Rassie was smarter than that…
C’mon Koos… If Kobus said he thought Province were favourites… You guys would tear into him…
12 Jul 2006, 09:01 am
It was a question ufo, not a statement hence the ?.
The point I am making is that it appears he went to great lengths to show it will be close and not a given and if he said anything else than that he thinks his team will win, I would have been surprised.
And yes, if Kobus said that it would have been funny…
As it is, Rassie and his team have been able to back up their talk. It won’t last but until then we have to applaud them.
12 Jul 2006, 09:24 am
I do applaude them Koos…
They’re looking like a well-oiled machine at the moment and are definitely a whole different proposition to the Bulls…
12 Jul 2006, 09:33 am
Truth be told, the weekend will show their true potential, Cheetahs and WP mind you, hope for a good match!
12 Jul 2006, 09:45 am
Cheers to that…
12 Jul 2006, 11:07 am
You Bulls supporters, worry about the bulls against the Cheetahs not the Wp (Who whipped youir asses) against the Staat…
Where do you people get that Wp were scrummed by Bulls and line outs were poor? Are you just reciting what the Beeld says and the one eyed COMMENtators. Fynne: ” Well the bulls better start getting their game right or the WP will take this one…” Utter ****…Open your Draad sitter kom ons ondersteun die span wat most likely sal wen ” Mentality!
Teurg na saterdag: Wp sal nie wen nie. ek is baie excited oor my span en is moer bly hulle kom reg, maar ek glo Rassie het een oor Fester. Maar gaan kyk maar die scores die afgelope ruk wat julle so mee bragg…Dit was alles close games…nie soos Wp teen die bulle nie…
En laastens: Dit is die rede hoekom ek kliphard vi Crusaders teen bulle geskree het: Sien jy ooit die bulle Wp ondersteun?? Nee hulle skree vi almal wat teen ons speel…maar dis fine, want ek support eerder soweto 0/13 b voor ek bulle skree!!!
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