Jóhann Thormählen
 
Bloemfontein – The Cheetahs would probably have welcomed the opportunity to build on their best performance to date in this year’s Super 14, but the team’s coaches do not expect their bye to trip them up.

The Blues and Cheetahs both have an off weekend coming up. The Cheetahs will only be in action against the Stormers at Newlands in Cape Town again next week Saturday.

The players have been granted a well-deserved break following their 28-12 win over the Hurricanes and will get together again on Thursday to prepare for the match against the Stormers.

The Cheetahs showed with their win over the Hurricanes that they have greater ambitions than just being competitive.

That is why coach Naka Drotské believes that the Cheetahs can rest with confidence even if the bye is not coming at the ideal time.

“We would have liked to keep the winning momentum, but there is nothing we can do about the bye. It was decided long ago. Maybe it’s a good thing that we can rest with confidence,” he said.

With that the coach certainly does not mean that complacency will set in.

He believes it is particularly important that the Cheetahs focus on their last two games in South Africa – against the Stormers and Reds – before getting on the plane for the tour of Australia and New Zealand.

“We have to remain switched on for the two games in South Africa before we go on tour. It’s important to stay positive before the tour,” said Drotské.

It’s with the Cheetahs’ inconsistency in mind that supporters would probably want their team to try and retain the winning momentum rather than lie low for a while.

Everyone knows that the Cheetahs can beat any side on their day. However, it’s their inability to achieve consecutive victories that is still haunting them.

They have not been able to win consecutive Super rugby games since 2006.

This year they lost against the Highlanders in between their victories over the Sharks and Hurricanes.