Cassiem proves it’s not a numbers game at Cheetahs
BOK flank Uzair Cassiem could be used as an openside flank when the Cheetahs have their first pre-season outing against the Stormers in Harare on Saturday.
Cassiem might wear the No 6 jersey at the weekend and during the Super Rugby season‚ but he will also wear the No7 jersey at times.
In coach Franco Smith’s mind‚ he does not want to pigeon-hole his backrowers because he believes the days of a pure openside flank‚ or a pure blindside flank‚ are over.
Loose forwards need to have the skills and athleticism to do both those roles‚ as well as play a linking game.
Cassiem‚ who wore the Cheetahs No7 jersey most of last season at Super Rugby and Currie Cup level‚ has shown that he is an allrounder.
“We have a couple of international flanks in Oupa Mohoje and Uzair Cassiem‚ who will battle for the No7 jersey‚ which will be quite intense‚” Smith said.
“I plan to use Uzair Cassiem at No 6 too‚ but for me the number on a player’s back‚ especially in certain positions‚ is irrelevant.
“The loose forwards have to be able to do everything and we need to adapt.
“The idea of a big No 7 that smashes it up has been gone for a while at the top end of the game and we shouldn’t hang on to it. I’d rather have more potential ball carriers,” he said.
“In South Africa, we are still very traditional‚ so I want to better the specific skills of all the backrow players‚ especially at the breakdown‚ instead of banking on one player.
“It’s also about learning which breakdowns to target. It’s not about chasing rucks all day for the sake of it.”
Smith has proven himself to be an astute coach and his philosophy of creating better overall rugby players in all positions is something the Stormers themselves have been working on in the pre-season.
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck appointed New Zealand skills and attack coach Paul Feeney to help transition his team from structured robots into organic thinkers on the field.
Smith is doing much the same at the Cheetahs and their clash in Zimbabwe will be a yardstick for both squads to measure where they stand in terms of their development.
The Cheetahs‚ after using the same squad throughout last year’s unbeaten run in the Currie Cup‚ which ended in a 36-16 final win over the Bulls‚ should be more settled in their approach than the Stormers.
For both sides, Saturday’s result is not important‚ but measuring their own performances against their specified targets is what it will be all about.