Cheetahs ready for Euro challenge
JOHANNESBURG: Excitement ... and plenty of it! That’s how Cheetahs head coach Rory Duncan described the mood in his team’s camp ahead of their PRO14 debut this weekend.
Where just a few months ago Duncan and his players would have been thinking about tackling the Pumas in Nelspruit, tomorrow they’ll be in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for their opener against Ulster.
It’s a new adventure for the Cheetahs (and the Kings), who’ve joined the PRO14 competition after being dumped out of Super Rugby. The two South African teams will visit places they would never have dreamed of visiting and they’ll face players they would have never imagined coming up against.
“The mood is one of excitement, that’s for sure,” said Duncan ahead of his team’s opening clash in Belfast, where a host of South African players await his team’s arrival.
“It’s been a short build-up after getting the green light to join the competition, but the players are keen to get going now. We’re a young group of players so the guys are still up to travelling and staying on the road for long periods so that’s a good thing. Most of the places we’re going to will be first-time visits for many of the players so that’s exciting in itself.
“We knew what was coming so we chopped and changed quite a bit from one match to the next in the Currie Cup, just to keep the players fresh,” said Duncan. “We’ve got around 50 contracted senior players in Bloemfontein, so we have enough players to play quality rugby in both competitions, especially when you include the juniors as well. But sure, it’s going to be a challenge at first.”
So, how much does Duncan know about the likes of Zebre, Connacht, the Glasgow Warriors, Leinster and Munster? “We’ve seen them in action, we know some of the players, but we’ll still watch videos of the teams we’re coming up against,” said Duncan.
““We’re not going to let that affect us or the style of rugby we want to play.”
“Some of the most effective teams in Europe play a game where they move the ball around. Just because it’s wet doesn’t mean one has to creep into one’s shell ... we’ll keep playing our brand.”