Cheetahs sitting pretty, but are ready to pounce on Kings prey

DESPITE having one foot in the Pro14 playoffs, Cheetahs coach Rory Duncan says his team will not be taking their foot off the pedal when they face the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

With just one round left before the playoffs, the Cheetahs are in a comfortable position of having a fivepoint lead over their nearest rivals the Cardiff Blues in Conference A.

It would require the Cheetahs to lose by a big margin to the Kings and the Blues thrashing the Ospreys to keep the Free Staters out of the playoffs.

Because the Cheetahs game in Port Elizabeth has an early 3pm kick-off, they could put the playoffs out of Cardiff’s reach even before they kickoff.

If the Cheetahs progress to the playoffs, they will face an away game against either Edinburgh or the Scarlets.

Duncan, who is leaving the Cheetahs to take up a position with English Premiership team Worcester Warriors, is happy with the position his team are in with just one round of regular league play left.

After losing their opening two matches against Ulster and Munster, the Cheetahs fought back to win 11 of their next 18 matches.

“We did not say we wanted to reach the quarterfinals, we just wanted to take one week at a time,” said Duncan.

“Outside of those first two games, we believe the team came back and became competitive.

“Being one point away from a secured playoff is a great position, but we have to beat the Kings first.”

The Kings have a few injury concerns ahead of the clash. If skipper Schalk Ferreira fails a fitness test, then loose-forward Ruaan Lerm could lead the team into battle.

Ferreira, who popped a rib during his team’s last match against Cardiff Blues, is being assessed by medical staff. Apart from Ferreira’s injury, centre Berton Klaasen is also sustained a concussion during the Cardiff game.

Alshaun Bock (hamstring tear) and Luzuko Vulindlu (left calf tear) are also facing late fitness tests.

The way Pro14 is structured the Kings and Cheetahs play each other three times this season.

The Cheetahs won the first game in Port Elizabeth 45-21, then achieved the double with a 45-24 victory a week later in Bloemfontein.

While the Cheetahs are in third place on the Conference A standings, the Kings are marooned at the bottom of Conference B with just one win from 20 outings.