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What is lacking at Cheetahs...

Cape Town - Chiefs coach Dave Rennie feels the lack of a surprise factor and defensive errors are some of the reasons the Cheetahs have struggled so far this year.

Rennie's Chiefs face the Cheetahs in a Super Rugby clash in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

The Cheetahs reached the playoffs last year, but are languishing at the bottom of the table with only one win from six games, having recently returned winless from their Australasian tour.

Defence was a key hallmark of the Cheetahs' success in 2013, but they've let themselves down in that department in 2014, conceding by far the most points (208) in the competition to date.

"It's a very tough series. It's probably also not that easy to tour so early," Rennie told the Volksblad website.

"They (the Cheetahs) did it last year. We played them early last year in their first tour match and beat them before they won three matches in a row overseas.

"Maybe the Cheetahs surprised one or two teams last year and this year teams are better prepared for them.

"They are, however, a different team than most of the other South African teams.

"They have scored superb tries this year, but conceded a lot of points, and that is probably their biggest deficiency."

Rennie did warn his charges not to underestimate the Cheetahs.

"The Cheetahs came home, was off for a week, and had ample time to prepare for the game. They'll be hungry for a victory and we'll definitely take note of that," concluded Rennie.

Kick-off for Saturday's game at the Free State Stadium is scheduled for 15:00.
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