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It's all defence for Cheetahs

Jóhann Thormählen

Bloemfontein – The Cheetahs want to pride themselves on their defence in the Super14 this year and Eastern Province are the first team in their sights in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Coach Naka Drotské picked his strongest available side for the pre-season match and the Cheetahs are out to register a clinical victory over De Wet Barry and his team-mates.

That is why Cheetahs backline coach Hawies Fourie does not want to see their opponents get opportunities to score tries.

“Defence is the one thing we want to focus on in the Super14 and we don’t want EP to score a single try against us. If they manage a try, it has to be through an intercept or a ball that is kicked through,” said Fourie.

“We don’t want them to build phases and score points.”

The Cheetahs have never managed to make inroads in the Super14 and hope that solid defence can make all the difference.

“Defence is the one area where we are looking for improvement,” said Drotské.

“We are among the stingiest defenders in the Currie Cup every year, but then among the most generous in the Super14. We’d like to be among the top five defensive sides.”

Drotské will not be satisfied with anything but a resounding win over EP.

“We’ll have to win convincingly, no doubt about it. We picked our best available team and the players know it. We expect a big performance from the team.”

The Cheetahs are not concerned about their opponents and will only concentrate on their preparation for the Super14.

“We have not veered from our conditioning plan and are still planning for the Bulls game, so the guys are a little tired,” said Drotské.

Meanwhile, the arbitration between scrumhalf JP Joubert in the contractual dispute between the Free State Rugby Union and Golden Lions continues Friday.
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