Cheetahs need defensive rethink
14 Apr 2011
JON CARDINELLI says the Cheetahs will never climb out of the Super Rugby basement until they address their detrimental defence.
Ollie le Roux was in the news this week for criticising the Cheetahs’ defence. Tired of the same old excuses, Le Roux said that little has changed since his playing days, and that the defensive systems favoured in Bloemfontein are outdated.
Coach Naka Drotske fired back with what he probably feels is a riposte. Drotske told Le Roux to concentrate on his own coaching duties at Bloemfontein Police. Drotske maintains the Cheetahs’ defence is in good shape.
Oh Naka. How do you even begin to defend the indefensible?
With one win in two years, the Lions are the running joke of South African rugby. A substantial cash injection and the recruitment of John Mitchell has done little to change the fact. They were the worst defensive side in history in 2010, and have been poor in this department in 2011. Their composure has also been exceedingly disappointing.
Can we compare the Lions to the Cheetahs? There’s the argument that the Cheetahs are South Africa’s paupers, and cannot afford to keep key players nor attract big names to Bloemfontein. But consider the two records at this stage of the 2011 competition, and it’s clear that they do have something in common: Poor defence.
The Melbourne Rebels (31) have leaked the most tries to date, with the Lions tied at second worst with the Force (21). The Cheetahs are only marginally better with 20 in their tries against column.
It’s also interesting that Drotske has chosen this week to commend the Cheetahs’ defence. They will host the Hurricanes this Saturday, and while the Wellington outfit is out of sorts, history will show that the Cheetahs are cannon fodder for New Zealand’s Super Rugby teams.
Since Drotske became coach in 2008, the Cheetahs have won just two out of the 17 matches played against Kiwi opposition. They’ve conceded a total of 75 tries (at an average of 4.4 per game), and conceded the four-try bonus on 10 occasions.
The Cheetahs have played their part in many a try-fest, but have very rarely ended up on the right side of the result. The Blues, Chiefs and Hurricanes are all renowned for a high-paced, and somewhat risky approach. They avoid the slow, grinding game at the coalface, preferring to attack the opposition’s midfield, and as the game opens up, their powerfully-built speedsters come into their own.
Drotske may argue that individual errors are a problem, but there’s no getting around the fact that defence is the issue. Most view them as a brave team that never gives up, and admire them for their attacking flair. They’ve come close to upsetting a few teams this season, but in most cases, the defensive lapses early in the game have ultimately proved the difference. They have the firepower to score tries late in the game, but for some reason, they don’t have the defence to prevent the opposition scoring five-pointers early on.
When the Cheetahs get it right on attack, they can be a joy to watch. But it seems that too much has been invested in one side of the game, and not enough in the other. It’s self-defeating. Scoring tries doesn’t count for much if you’re conceding them at the other end.
Nothing has changed from a performance perspective, and as long as the Cheetahs remain in the bottom four, there isn’t a valid argument to the contrary. They need to fix their defensive frailties if they are ever going to be considered as mid-table contenders let alone play-off hopefuls.
17 Comments
14 Apr 2011, 06:25 am
cheeting dragons…
only SA team worth watching…
14 Apr 2011, 07:08 am
lets see how this cheetahs defence goes against Canes the weekend.
I see lots of teams, including Kiwi and aussie teams, wanting to sign Sarel Pretorious….
14 Apr 2011, 07:24 am
I dont think the Cheetahs have major defensive issues. They have lost most of their games by small margins and have score plenty of tries and plenty of great tries.
They dont keep players, have major injuries and they dont have stars.
They have just been **** unlucky not to slip the ref a few grand as a lot of the marginal calls have gone against them.
14 Apr 2011, 07:31 am
@KevinRack(KevinRack)-3: always the conspiracy huh Kevin? gees, people go on about Grant10s obsession with Smit, but your obsession is equally as bad..
do SA teams ever lose because they werent good enough on the day? serious question..
14 Apr 2011, 07:37 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-4: hello poops trolling again.
The Cheetahs are like the ABS last attempt at the RWC.
14 Apr 2011, 07:38 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-4: I dont think the Cheetahs have major defensive issues. They have lost most of their games by small margins and have score plenty of tries and plenty of great tries.
They dont keep players, have major injuries and they dont have stars.
What about these comments poops.
Yeah you hate blinds you too much whixh makes me wonder wny you are here all the time?
14 Apr 2011, 07:40 am
@KevinRack(KevinRack)-5: no, just pointing out the simple fact that in almost every post you mention the ref… not trolling at all.. the Cheetahs are my fav SA side, simply for the way they play the game…
if anyones trolling your last line says it all… truth hurt does it? and you still didnt answer the question..
does a SA team ever lose because they werent the better team? not according to your gospel..
14 Apr 2011, 07:42 am
“They have just been **** unlucky not to slip the ref a few grand as a lot of the marginal calls have gone against them.”
why not include the whole post Kevin? afraid it validates my point? thought so..
14 Apr 2011, 07:44 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-8: why not include the whole post Poops? afraid it validates my point? thought so..
14 Apr 2011, 07:48 am
@KevinRack(KevinRack)-9: yawn…
whatever Kevin, just remember, when a team loses this weekend its because of the Anzac ref… its your mantra mate, keep sticking to it..
14 Apr 2011, 07:50 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-10: still no answer to my question Kevin? why is that?
cmon, does a SA side ever lose because they werent good enough on the day?
14 Apr 2011, 08:14 am
Ah Cardinelli, don’t mind me, but your opinions are usually to try and score brownie points with Keo, and his stormers cronies!! You chums with Oillie??
Cheetahs have slipped some tries, because in most games sofar, they have had to make twice as many tackles as the opposition!! And they have done so manfuly!!
At the moment they are together with the Sharks the better teams to watch play, because they play for the full 80 mins in every match…
Apart from the matches against the sharks and the Reds, both away matches (incidentaly 2 of the top teams) the Cheetahs have lost 5 of the 8 matches by less than 7!! And did we forget that the Blues trounced the high flying Crusaders. It is easy to just add the tries, and subtract the tries and then make a dumb comment like that. Cardinelli is supposed to be a journalist, instead of just copying and pasting Oily’s drivel, he should actually go and do an anlysis of the matches.
2 Points vs the Bulls
6 Points vs the Stormers (away)
5 Points vs the Lions
7Points vs the Blues (away)
3Points vs the Highlanders (away)
The Cheetahs are actually looking pretty good heading into the second round. Injured players are returning, Strauss, and Benjamin this week!!
Hurricanes at home
bye
Crusadres at home
Rebels at home
Bulls
Sharks at home
Bye
Stormers at home
So it’s a bit early to start slagging them, I reckon the Cheetahs can finish in the top half of the log before the playoffs commence!! They will be happy with that, after starting with a horror run of injuries, and still improving on last years standings!!
Go Cheetahs!!!
14 Apr 2011, 09:17 am
Why are all the Keo journos always gunning for the Cheetahs, they never have a good word to say about them! Are they scared?
14 Apr 2011, 10:26 am
Cheetahs have played well this season and only lost be very small margins, infact they should have won the their game against the Blues had it not been for poor reffing (blues had a forward pass try awarded). I can’t agree with the points made in this article and yes Ollie must shutthefukup and stick to his police team. I really hope the Cheetahs win this week-end, they deserve it.
14 Apr 2011, 10:26 am
@Cheetah 4 Eva(Cheetah 4 Eva)-12: The Cheetahs are going to bring a lot of heartache to local derbies.
14 Apr 2011, 10:27 am
@Okmarnet(Okmarnet)-13: its pathetic
14 Apr 2011, 11:37 am
I think the explanation is a business one. Keo and his mob have no “in” with the Cheetahs, hence the lack of any inside info of any nature whatsoever. They get the Cheetahs back by always being negative about them. Note how the Cheetahs never lose because they are unlucky. Instead, they get close because the opposition is lethargic, not accurate etc. Bottom line: Keo cannot say anything interesting about the Cheetahs because he has no “in” and therefore slates them at every oppertunity. Same pattern of behaviour towards Div, White (when he was still coach, not now) etc. No “in” = bad publicity
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