Sharks coach lauds Cheetahs

Ken Borland

Sharks coach Robert du Preez (above) gave credit to the under-strength Free State Cheetahs team for the way they were able to make life harder for his side than their 45-15 winning scoreline in their Currie Cup match in Durban at the weekend suggests.

Free State were missing 28 first-choice players, who had travelled to Ireland for the Pro14 opener against Ulster, but their young side kept going until the end of the top-of-the-table Currie Cup encounter.

“They made it a bit tougher for us than we expected, to be honest,” Du Preez said after the win which gave his team a four-point lead at the top of the standings.

“They really made us work hard for every point, so well done to them. They were very good, there were a lot of Varsity Cup players in their team and they gave us a really good run for our money.”

Du Preez said he was happy with the energy shown by his side as they gave the ball plenty of air and seven tries were the reward for their ambitious endeavours.

“It was definitely positive for us, I was pleased that the guys put a lot of hard work in this week and they ran a lot this evening. So as a fitness exercise it was quite good, but there were a couple of things I wasn’t happy about – the amount of turnovers we conceded and the number of times we didn’t convert opportunities in the opposition 22, too many of the chances went abegging,” Du Preez said.

“But I’m pleased with the result and the fact that we did not get any injuries is really important too, with a tough two weeks ahead of us. We have to go to the Pumas next and that will be a tough game, they’re a very difficult team and they ran the Lions close at Ellis Park.”