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Super Rugby SA conference preview : The Cheetahs

Will anyone draft George Smith? Find out in the next instalment. (AFP PHOTO / Mark GRAHAM)
Roar Guru
6th January, 2015
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The Cheetahs have historically been the fourth best franchise in the South African conference, stretching from their first season in 1997 to being reintroduced in 2006 after the Cats were disbanded, all the way to the current 2015 season.

They have only reached the Super Rugby playoffs once, when they marked 2013 with 10 wins and six losses.

They hail from the Free State Province in South Africa but also encompass the Northern Cape by virtue of the GWK Griquas from which they can also draw players. Their home ground, the Free State Stadium in the city of Bloemfontein can hold a crowd of 48,000 and they have an average attendance of 20,456 spanning from 2006 to 2014.

In the domestic competition of South Africa, the Currie Cup, they are also ranked fourth best since the tournament’s inaugural season in 1892, behind Western Province, the Blue Bulls, Golden Lions and Natal Sharks. They currently hold a total of four premiership titles with the most recent win in 2007.

The Cheetahs have not had the best of luck in Super Rugby thus far with sixth spot being their highest ever placing. Since 2006 they have been 10th thrice, 11th twice, 13th and 14th and of course, sixth. Their 2014 season saw them slump back to 14th after winning four, losing 11 and drawing once.

Things didn’t go right for them in the 2014 ABSA Currie Cup either, with a disappointing fifth place finish, winning only three games against the competition’s poorest teams. They drew a 30-all game against the Natal Sharks, lost all their matches against the Golden Lions, Western Province and the new kids on the block, the Steval Pumas and subsequently failed to reach the semi-finals.

The best way to sum up the Cheetahs is with a rather comedic Afrikaans phrase commonly associated with the boys from Bloemfontein.

“Die krag is daar, maar die ligte is af.” This translates to: “The power is there, but the lights are off”.

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Sadly this is the state in which Free State rugby finds itself in. To a foreigner it might look like the Free State Cheetahs rugby union is a complete wasteland of mediocrity, littered with players who have the best of intentions but couldn’t perform if their lives depended on it.

To the initiated who know the truth of this poor union, they would see that Cheetahs rugby is a diamond in the rough, a never ending conveyor belt of pure South African talent. Their greatest flaw? They don’t have the finances to keep their talent right where it is.

Such has been their fate that they have been pillaged to the brink of insanity by South Africa’s big three provinces, the Blue Bulls, Western Province and Natal Sharks. When one looks at how many Springboks have come from Grey College you would find yourself wondering how the Cheetahs could not perform better.

The truth is simple, unfortunately. The two biggest production lines in South Africa are the Cheetahs and the Stormers, but the difference between the two is that the Stormers can actually keep the majority of their talent in Cape Town and the Cheetahs can’t.

What you have to admit, though, is that what the Cheetahs lack in success they make up in heart, character and determination. They play the best brand of exciting, expansive rugby in the whole of South Africa. Throughout the years the Cheetahs have been able to play beautiful games of rugby against big teams, winning them along the way. They play the game to entertain and that is where their problem often lies.

The Cheetahs believe that they can win games consistently by outscoring the opposition with tries and only tries. They don’t put any emphasis on the importance of defence and good tactical kicking play because in their minds they believe that they can cut any deficit down by just running the ball until doomsday.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it goes horribly wrong. The hammerings they got from the Hurricanes (60-27), Stormers (33-0) and Lions (60-23) last year are prime examples of the latter. In 2013, however, the Cheetahs got the balance right between attack, defence and tactical play. They will have to do so again in 2015 if they intend to have a good season.

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2015 season preview
The Cheetahs open their campaign against the Sharks at Growthpoint Kings Park away from home on Valentine’s Day before taking a premature breather in the second round. After that they will host the Blues, Bulls and the return match against the Sharks in Bloemfontein in rounds three, four and five.

Depending on the form of all the teams in the competition this could be anything between a good and horrific start for the Cheetahs. On paper it would seem that the Sharks will be the premier South African side this year and should prove to be a tad too much for the Cheetahs in both games.

This is, of course, only if the Sharks are as good as their team roster suggests. Unfortunately they have only beaten the Bulls but once in Super Rugby, and I expect the Bulls to keep up the tradition by beating a gutsy Cheetahs performance.

The Blues game is interesting. The Cheetahs have it in them to beat the Blues at home but that won’t necessarily mean they will. The Cheetahs have a bye after Round 1 so they will still be rusty come Round 3 against the Auckland side. But I will give them their first win of the season. Not the best of starts, with a very debatable one win out of four first up.

After this the Cheetahs leave for a happy tour of sunshine, beaches and sandcastles. They play the Crusaders at Christchurch, the Chiefs at Waikato, the Brumbies at Canberra and then the Western Force at Perth. They only needed the Waratahs to make it a half decent tour.

Jokes aside this tour is a complete baptism of fire for the men in orange. The Crusaders have not lost to the Cheetahs at Christchurch in their entire history while the two-time champion Chiefs have also become a force of nature on home soil. I expect two losses straight up in New Zealand.

The Brumbies will be too much for the Cheetahs as well, having been a very consistent Super Rugby side the past few seasons. The South African conference winners of 2014 failed to triumph in Canberra so I doubt the Cheetahs class of 2015 will. Then the Force game. I feel more comfortable with this match than I do with the Blues game and I believe the Cheetahs will take it giving them their second, but realistically first, win of their campaign.

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After the horror tour the Reds will visit them at the Free State Stadium before they travel up to Ellis Park to face the resurgent Lions, and after that they will face the Stormers at home. It certainly isn’t the kind of welcome back party the Cheetahs would have hoped for.

They beat the Reds handsomely the last time they met at Bloemfontein and will be hoping to repeat that performance. The Reds, however, look set to have a better year than the previous two and will fancy their chances on a fast, dry track. Another gutsy Cheetahs performance and another loss is what I predict.

Then the Lions game away from home. The Cheetahs will remember the pain from that emphatic last round loss to the Lions at the same venue and will be looking to correct it. If the Lions continue their Currie Cup form, however, I predict more of the same. They will lick their lips at the prospect of having the Stormers over in Bloemfontein though.

The last two times the Cheetahs and the Stormers met at Free State Stadium, the Cheetahs turned out comfortable winners. Potential third win, most likely a second win before their second bye.

Their final wave of attack will come in the form of the Highlanders and Lions at home before they face the Stormers for a second time at DHL Newlands. After that they will face the current champion Waratahs at home and finish off against the Bulls at Loftus.

Two successive wins against the Highlanders and Lions at home will be non-negotiable if the Cheetahs want to better their 2014 season. If the Highlanders come close to the form that saw them shock the Sharks at Growthpoint Kings Park last year then I struggle seeing a Free State win, but I expect them to restore some pride by beating the Lions at home with a hard fought running rugby win.

They will lose at DHL Newlands and they will lose convincingly against the Stormers, like they had the previous two years where they lost 28-3 and 33-0. As mentioned in the Bulls’ preview, the Stormers love return games against all their South African rivals. They will also lose against the Waratahs followed by the Bulls at Loftus.

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Overall the draw is alright at best. It features three home games in succession in the opening rounds but also a horribly placed first bye in Round 2. But whatever advantage the Cheetahs may even get from this start will be completely nullified by the worst tour Down Under by any South African side, with only one realistic win.

The middle fixtures are somewhat lighter, with a probable win over the Stormers and maybe even the Reds depending on what shape they’re in. The finish is about as horrible as the tour, with the Stormers out for revenge, the high time Tahs the second last game and the traditionally dominant Bulls as a curtain closer.

If I put the patriotism away I expect the Cheetahs to win only three games against the Western Force in Perth, the Stormers in Bloemfontein and the Lions in Bloemfontein if they’re lucky. For the long shots maybe the Reds and the Highlanders at home but that’s about it. It may seem like a very critical prediction but with the squad disruption that’s how I see it panning out.

They have lost 14 players and recruited eight.

Out
Hennie Daniller, Rossouw de Klerk, Andries Ferreira, Johan Goosen, Lappies Labuschagne, Ligtoring Landman, Hercu Liebenberg, Kevin Luiters, Howard Mnisi, Nick Schoenert, Riaan Smith, Adriaan Strauss, Phillip van der Walt, Trevor Nyakane and Waltie Vermeulen.

In
Willie Britz, JP du Plessis, Willie du Plessis, JW Jonker, Devin Oosthuizen, Sergeal Pietersen, Joe Pietersen, BG Uys, Coenie van Wyk and Clayton Blommetjies.

The main objective in terms of team synergy should be to commit equally to attack, defence and tactics. These three components made the Cheetahs a very good team in 2013. They can’t do what they did in 2014 by thinking that they’ll just score enough tries to win without having to commit defensively.

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The notable departures of Springboks Strauss, Nyakane and Goosen will certainly damage the team. With Strauss gone they will need a new captain and logically the choice can only be made between 2014 vice-captain and Cheetahs veteran Francois Uys and Namibian 2014 Currie Cup captain Torsten van Jaarsveld.

With Nyakane gone to the Bulls they will also need a new prop, effectively a brand new scrum beside Oosthuizen. The departure of Goosen has been counteracted by the arrival of former Stormers ace Joe Pietersen.

Here’s to hoping the Cheetahs surprise us in 2015.

My Cheetahs team for 2015
1. Coenie Oosthuizen (187cm, 127kg)
2. Torsten van Jaarsveld (175cm, 110kg)
3. Caylib Oosthuizen (186cm, 116kg)
4. Lood de Jager (206cm, 123kg)
5. Francois Uys (198cm, 111kg)
6. Heinrich Brussow (180cm, 100kg)
7. Teboho Mahoje (193cm, 106kg)
8. Jean Cook (193cm, 108kg)
9. Sarel Pretorius (170cm, 80kg)
10. Joe Pietersen (180cm, 85kg)
11. Raymond Rhule (175cm, 76kg)
12. JP du Plessis (185cm, 93kg)
13. Johann Sadie (188cm, 90kg)
14. Cornall Hendricks (188cm, 90kg)
15. Willie le Roux (185cm, 90kg)

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