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Brüssow hails young guns

Quintin van Jaarsveld

Bloemfontein - Springbok and Cheetahs fetcher Heinrich Brüssow has lauded the unity of the Bloemfontein-based Vodacom Super Rugby franchise and impact the younger players have made in this year’s tournament.

The Cheetahs class of 2011 are enjoying a record-breaking campaign in which they claimed their first-ever victory in Australasia - over the Waratahs in Sydney in March - and strung together a franchise record four consecutive victories over the Brumbies, MTN Lions, Crusaders and the Melbourne Rebels.

Naka Drotské’s charges are also the most potent attacking side from Bloemfontein in the history of the competition with 40 tries heading into their season-ending clash against the DHL Stormers in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Brüssow, who is nursing a hamstring injury that he sustained in the memorable 33-20 win over the Crusaders in round thirteen, believes the youthful exuberance in the squad and their cohesion have played pivotal roles in their success.

“There’s a great team spirit in the squad and the guys are playing for each other. It’s not just one or two guys who are performing well, the entire team are putting their hands up,” said Brüssow.

“The youngsters who have been given an opportunity this year have taken it with both hands. If we can retain these youngsters for the next two or three years we could really develop into a strong team and build some depth.”

Despite having been plagued by injury over the past 18 months, Brüssow remains upbeat and said his rehabilitation is going well.

“It’s going very well. Obviously it’s unfortunate, these things happen, but luckily it’s not a six-month thing. I’ve had some lengthy injury lay-offs so this is just a minor setback and something I have to get out of the way and ensure I stay fit.”

With the Rugby World Cup just 83 days away, Brüssow added that the Cheetahs’ good form has eased the temptation of rushing back into action and risking further injury.

“Certainly at this stage you don’t want to take any chances but not only because of the World Cup. You want to make sure you are properly rehabilitated so that it doesn’t come back to haunt you later on and the good form the team’s in makes the decision easier,” he said.
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