Cheetahs coach happy with win

CHEETAHS coach Franco Smith may have watched his team concede four tries in their 38-31 escape against the Sunwolves but said there was nothing wrong with their defensive system.

Having conceded three in last week’s win against the Bulls‚ the Cheetahs are finding ways to win‚ but conceding points at the same time.

Smith also conceded the Sunwolves had their number and, unlike last year when they lost 92-17‚ the visitors prepared adequately and spent time on the Highveld instead of going to Bloemfontein the day before the game.

“If you play Super Rugby‚ other teams will score tries against you. That’s how it works‚” Smith said.

“If you compare it with the Northern Hemisphere‚ it’s about out-pressuring the opposition.

“Here in South Africa‚ if you want to win a Super Rugby or Rugby Championship match‚ you have to outscore the opposition.

“Defence is important but we’re leaning towards an attacking mindset. We’re very happy with our defence even though our line speed wasn’t great.

“I thought we’d outwork them but they slowed the game down effectively and were tactically smart. They also adapted well to the conditions and they planned for this game very well.

“They’re still a Super Rugby team. They’ve scored more tries than us in this tournament.”

The win is the most important thing for Smith even though it came at some physical cost as Raymond Rhule‚ Paul Schoeman and Clinton Swart all came off with injuries.

It is a winning culture that Smith is looking for and does not mind if his team find creative ways to take the points.

He is a big believer in building a winning culture and conjuring wins in different ways is part of the package.

“The nice thing is that we now can score tries when we keep the ball very well. There wasn’t much wrong that we did because we made the necessary metres when he had the ball.

“The most important thing is that we’re closing out these close matches because I have a feeling most of our matches will be like this.”