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Bloemfontein - The Cheetahs' feet remain rooted to the ground after their brilliant Super Rugby victory over the Crusaders ... a possible place in the knockout phase of the Super Rugby tournament has not even been discussed in their camp.
The players told each other shortly after their 33-20 win not to get big heads about the victory.
Inspirational captain Adriaan Strauss said that the team would gain a lot of confidence from the victory, but the Cheetahs cannot relax for a moment.
The Bok hooker said they would not do the other South African teams any favours in the run-in.
Their last four games are against the Melbourne Rebels, the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers.
The first challenge is to continue the good form against the Rebels here on Saturday. The Cheetahs could set a new franchise record of four straight wins in Super Rugby. Last year they won three consecutive games.
There is also a possibility that the Cheetahs could improve their record for Super Rugby victories in a season. They have won four games and the record of five wins was posted in 2006 and 2010.
They could also make it to the play-offs if other results go their way. Four victories without bonus points, plus four log points for a bye, will see them finish on 49 points.
Strauss said that statistics and the play-offs are not the team's motivation.
"A possible top six finish is not dominating our discussions. We already spoke in the change room (after the win over the Crusaders) about not getting ahead of ourselves. It may sound like a cliché, but we need to keep doing what we are doing well," he said.
"The guys are beginning to realise that you have to be switched on every week. They have matured this year and their feet remain rooted to the ground after the win over the Crusaders."
Bloemfontein - The Cheetahs' feet remain rooted to the ground after their brilliant Super Rugby victory over the Crusaders ... a possible place in the knockout phase of the Super Rugby tournament has not even been discussed in their camp.
The players told each other shortly after their 33-20 win not to get big heads about the victory.
Inspirational captain Adriaan Strauss said that the team would gain a lot of confidence from the victory, but the Cheetahs cannot relax for a moment.
The Bok hooker said they would not do the other South African teams any favours in the run-in.
Their last four games are against the Melbourne Rebels, the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers.
The first challenge is to continue the good form against the Rebels here on Saturday. The Cheetahs could set a new franchise record of four straight wins in Super Rugby. Last year they won three consecutive games.
There is also a possibility that the Cheetahs could improve their record for Super Rugby victories in a season. They have won four games and the record of five wins was posted in 2006 and 2010.
They could also make it to the play-offs if other results go their way. Four victories without bonus points, plus four log points for a bye, will see them finish on 49 points.
Strauss said that statistics and the play-offs are not the team's motivation.
"A possible top six finish is not dominating our discussions. We already spoke in the change room (after the win over the Crusaders) about not getting ahead of ourselves. It may sound like a cliché, but we need to keep doing what we are doing well," he said.
"The guys are beginning to realise that you have to be switched on every week. They have matured this year and their feet remain rooted to the ground after the win over the Crusaders."
