Cheetahs’ off-field woes weigh heavily ahead of Chiefs
IT JUST doesn’t look good for the Cheetahs. The odds are well and truly stacked against them today (3pm kick-off) as they come up against the Chiefs in a Super Rugby match in Bloemfontein.
Not only will the visitors be pumped up to take something away from their trip to South Africa after going down against the Stormers last weekend, but the Cheetahs themselves are battling a number of internal battles that makes today’s outing all the more difficult.
Some of the players may feel coach Franco Smith has left them in the lurch; the mentor having taking up an assistant coaching role with the Springboks, which means he won’t be around for the Currie Cup, and his thinking may well be with the national team already, while the Super Rugby axe is hovering over the team as well.
There is no question the players are worrying about their futures, wondering whether they should stay on in Bloemfontein and fight it out in whatever competition they play in this time next year (that is, of course, if they are chopped from Super Rugby), or look elsewhere for employment – in South Africa or abroad.
On top of all this, which is enough to make anyone demoralised, the team are coming off a bye weekend which makes them rather vulnerable.
Also, the union recently opted to re-seed the field at the Toyota Stadium and while it looks good the test will be whether it stands up to the action on it over 80 minutes.
And, to compound matters even more, the Cheetahs are desperate for some form. They have won just twice in six matches and haven’t kicked on like many expected them to after their unbeaten run to the Currie Cup title last season.
But then, as is so often the case, a team will often stand up when least expected and deliver a performance to be proud of, and we’ve seen the Cheetahs do exactly that in the past.
They’re a side one can never write off, even when it looks like they have no hope of winning, and the fans will be hoping that day is today.
They have nothing to lose really, and no one is giving them a chance, so perhaps they’ll do the improbable and knock over the Chiefs.
A look at the Chiefs team suggests they’re not all that great; perhaps Damian McKenzie, Aaron Cruden, Sam Cane and Brodie Retallick have class about them, but for the rest, they’re nothing special.
And, after all, the Cheetahs have Sergeal Petersen, Francois Venter, Nico Lee, Raymond Rhule, Oupa Mohoje, Paul Schoeman ... players who, too, can turn it on. It’s going to take something special from Smith’s men though, make no mistake.