Cheetahs change three
20 Mar 2012
Flanker Justin Downey will make his first Super Rugby start for the Cheetahs against the Crusaders on Saturday.
The Griquas loose forward made his official debut off the bench for the Cheetahs against the Brumbies a fortnight ago, and has impressed enough since then to receive a run-on spot from head coach Naka Drotske in Christchurch. He replaces Davon Raubenheimer in the loose trio.
In the front row, props Coenie Oosthuizen and WP Nel are also demoted as Trevor Nyakane starts at loosehead while Lourens Adriaanse is picked at tighthead.
Cheetahs – 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Cameron Jacobs, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Willie le Roux, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Tewis de Bruyn, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Justin Downey, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 George Earle, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Adriaan Strauss (c), 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Reserves: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Andries Ferreira, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Ryno Benjamin.
45 Comments
20 Mar 2012, 13:46 pm
Coenie Dragon on the bench? Why?
20 Mar 2012, 13:46 pm
Interesting, thought the props were doing alright myself… but sometimes its hard to tell…
20 Mar 2012, 13:50 pm
Willie Le Roux to run the Crusaders ragged!
20 Mar 2012, 13:53 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-3: If he gets ball. With those two props up against the Frank bro’s I doubt it!
20 Mar 2012, 13:59 pm
@Tarlo(Tarlo)-2: Maybe just planned rotation. Saving them for the last game of the tour.
20 Mar 2012, 14:01 pm
@stand-off(Braders)-4: They are not bad props just inexperience. Nyakane is a monster with ball in hand.
20 Mar 2012, 14:14 pm
so Naka waves the white flag before the battle even commences. a defeatest attitude.
20 Mar 2012, 14:15 pm
Not worried about Trevor. He’s a class player. But I’m not fond of Adriaanse. They probably have a game-plan… but a plan and Naka doesn’t go into one sentence.
20 Mar 2012, 14:24 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-7: coenie & wp are pemalty masjien chap, bayatsitsa!
20 Mar 2012, 14:25 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-3: enough already chap…
20 Mar 2012, 14:28 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-9: so naka is saving their reputations? better to suspect them of being penalty machines that getting their head shoved through their arses and proving that they are average in comparison to international props.
And it’s more than just the props. Does that loose-foward combo really instill some fear in the Saders loosies? Me thinks not.
20 Mar 2012, 14:28 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-9: especially wp nel…he is getting pinged incessantly.
20 Mar 2012, 14:31 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-11: plumtree played smit @ tighhead against wyatt crocket in 2009 and proved to the WHOLE world that smit was not a 3, coenie & wp are still seen as proppects in SA, no need to sully their reputations.
20 Mar 2012, 14:33 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-11: Most Penalties Conceded after round 3
1. Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks) 8
3. Dean Greyling (Bulls) 7
3. WP Nel (Cheetahs) 7
6. Derick Minnie (Lions) 6
9. Werner Kruger (Bulls) 5
9. Zane Kirchner (Bulls) 5
for sure last week he added another 2 or 3 to that 7
20 Mar 2012, 14:34 pm
SARU makes R24m profit
Cape Town – The South African Rugby Union (SARU) reported a pre-tax profit of R24m in 2011 – a year during which participation at the IRB Rugby World Cup traditionally increases costs, while depressing the earning capacity of international rugby federations.
The result was due to an 18% increase in earnings, allied to cost containments in operating expenditure, excluding allocations to provinces.
“It was a year of severe cost cutting, during which we restructured the operational side of SARU to be more streamlined and efficient,” said SARU CEO, Jurie Roux.
“We converted 16 different divisions into seven new departments, more effectively aligned to deliver on our mission to provide outstanding strategic leadership for the business of rugby. That we were able to do it while containing costs was doubly pleasing.”
Total operating expenditure increased by 12%, largely due to a 76% increase in broadcasting rights allocations to provinces.
The increase in operating expenditure however, excluding broadcasting rights allocations to provinces, was contained to only 2%, well below the prevailing inflation rate.
Group revenue grew to R597m (from R505m in 2010) due mainly to a significant increase in revenue from broadcasting rights at the start of a new five-year contract.
Sponsorship income grew by 11% as a number of contract renewals were confirmed and new sponsors became involved or others increased their rugby portfolio.
The jump in pre-tax profit from an operating loss before taxation of R5.4m, 12 months ago, was in line with SARU expectations.
“We had forecast a reasonable profit for 2011 and the eventual outcome was ahead of our expectations,” said Basil Haddad, SARU’s chief financial officer. “Given that the new broadcasting agreements and a number of new sponsorship agreements, which commenced in 2011, are essentially fixed until 2015, and that operating cost containment continues to be an operational priority, it is likely that that a reasonable profit will be achieved in 2012.”
“We have set ourselves an annual profit target of not less than 5% of annual operating costs, excluding rights allocations to provinces,” said Haddad. “The aim is to build up sufficient cash reserves in order to weather unforeseen growth in expenses beyond inflation.”
SARU’s full financial statements will be presented to the Annual General Meeting in Cape Town on March 30.
20 Mar 2012, 14:39 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-13: conversely, playing them could enhance their reputation. They should be licking thier chops to play against the Franks bros and Wyatt. The competition is still wide open for Bok props. Opportunities beckon, but they will have to go get them.
20 Mar 2012, 14:41 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-14: Not really surprising reading.
Your numbering is confusing though. Is this because you only put the SA players in and left out the other numbers?
If so then of the 38 penalties, 17 (almost half of them) are from the Bulls?
No wonder the Blues knocked them over.
They had better fix that or the Reds will take them too.
20 Mar 2012, 14:43 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-14: most of the pens were scrum infringements. Consider the standard of scrum officiating against the Brumbies. In fact, forget that. Would you agree that Naka has selected his best available run-on side?
20 Mar 2012, 14:47 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-10: I cant help it if I rate the player. I think he is really good.
20 Mar 2012, 14:57 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-19: he was at Boland last year and the Stormers didn’t even look at him, surely he is better than danie poolman and would give herkies a run for his money!.
and they can’t say they didn’t see him as he was nominated for player of the season along with bolla who was for some reason training with the stormers in pre-season.
20 Mar 2012, 14:58 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-17: yes, only saffas.
20 Mar 2012, 14:59 pm
lambs to the slaughter
20 Mar 2012, 15:00 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-20: you seem surprised with the competency of the talent scouts in WP land? Never mind Le Roux, the let JJ go and kept Poolman.
20 Mar 2012, 15:00 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-18: conventional wisdom says coenie & wp are part of the “best run-on side”, so i’d have to say, no
20 Mar 2012, 15:07 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-24: So Naka has devalued the importance of winning? You could almost call it matchfixing.
20 Mar 2012, 15:08 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-20: Very strange that the Stormers could not spot such talent. I think he is better suited to the Cheetahs gameplan in which they give the ball alot of air. If he was at the Stormers he would have been chasing kicks and tackling whole day.
20 Mar 2012, 15:09 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-25: It is still a strong side and Coenie is still on the bench for impact late in the game.
20 Mar 2012, 15:11 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-14: I wonder how many of those were in the last 15 minute against the Brumbies, when WP Nel was probably blown up for blinking!
As for Coenie,he has not played much thus far this year and came off injured last week, so I understand why he might be given a breather. As this is WP Nel’s last season with the Cheetahs (before heading to Scotland), it makes sense to give the back-ups more game time will rotating the frontrow. Might as well do it this week and have your team back to full strength for the last game of the tour against the stuttering Hurricanes.
20 Mar 2012, 15:11 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-27: not when you behind by 20 or 30.
20 Mar 2012, 15:13 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-26: Stormers like to sign big names (like Joe Pietersen) to give their fans a false sense of security. Cheetahs are very happy to pick up young talent or cast-aways!
20 Mar 2012, 15:14 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-29: The Cheetahs beat both the Crusaders and Hurricanes (the two tour games in hand) last year, so careful before you write them off!
20 Mar 2012, 15:16 pm
@scar(scar)-30: BWahahahaha. spot on. it’s all about the blonde hair and pretty boys in CT.
20 Mar 2012, 15:17 pm
@scar(scar)-30: That can also be the case. They also dont like to rely on Boland for players.
20 Mar 2012, 15:17 pm
@scar(scar)-31: they were home games. of course they stand a chance, but it’s diminished when they don’t select their best side.
20 Mar 2012, 15:17 pm
@scar(scar)-28: the penalties agains the brumbies were not for illegal scrumming but for EARLY ENGAGEMENT by the whole front row…wp’s one are his personal tally where the ref points to him & says, collapsing, hinging, boring in, slipping bind etc.
20 Mar 2012, 15:19 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-32: lol
20 Mar 2012, 15:24 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-35: Fair enough, although I thought early engagement is only a free kick. Maybe the ref had it even more wrong than what I initially thought… going on your comment.
@pompies2(pompies2)-34: They were home wins, but the Crusaders just came from a massive win at Newlands the week before and comments like “Lambs to the slaughter” were a plenty on keo as well….
20 Mar 2012, 15:33 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-14: T be fair there’s not a whole lot of difference in penalties from props… Benn Robinson has given away 9, WP Nel and Ben May 7, a whole host have given away 6 and 5.
20 Mar 2012, 15:34 pm
The selection indicates a complete capitulation of the Cheetahs, changes makes no sense except ditching Raubenheimer
20 Mar 2012, 15:35 pm
@scar(scar)-37: please mate, the Saders had injuries galore after Newlands…ellis, dagg, maitland, whitelock, thorne, read etc. sbw off @ half time
mccaw & carter who had sat out the Newlands game were thrust into the mix with tom marshall, willie heinz, luke romano etc
cheetahs did well but don’t stretch the point
20 Mar 2012, 15:37 pm
@scar(scar)-30: I wouldnt call joe pietersen a big name, he’s not even springbok…. And although in the past there have been dodgy selections and purchases (wllem de waal, habana, matt toomua) i think the current team is doing an incredible job of bringing through home grown youngsters. Kitshoff, Etzebeth, Kolisi, Carr and Juan de Jongh are all playing with experience beyond their years and any of them could get a look in at the springboks in the next 2 years.
20 Mar 2012, 15:39 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-39: hahaha how predictable hondo
20 Mar 2012, 15:45 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-3: In your wildest dreams – pay back time for these cheetahs
20 Mar 2012, 18:20 pm
strange that these changes come following a win vs the rebels.
21 Mar 2012, 06:30 am
Naka’s biggest downfall as a coach is his team selections. Cheetahs played there best rugby last year with sias at 10. Cheetahs looked superb last week when sias came on and goosen and sias were varying between 10 and 15. Daniller is a donkey! And when is he going to realise robert is a 12 and not a 13. A lot of their defences lapses come in the 13 channel because robert is too small to defend that channel. A johnson the bench again, really???
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.