Kings insist Cheetahs can be beaten
Captain Willemse confident despite string of losses
THOUGH the form book strongly suggests otherwise, Southern Kings skipper Michael Willemse says his team have enough ammunition to topple the Cheetahs today.
If a hotly contested “Battle of Bloem” is to materialise, the winless Kings will have to make a big step up after a 12th consecutive PRO14 loss against the Cheetahs in Port Elizabeth last week.
While Willemse was upbeat going into the clash, his opposite number Torsten van Jaarsveld believes the Kings will battle to regain confidence after so many losses.
While the Kings are stranded at the bottom of the PRO14 log, the Cheetahs are bidding for a playoff berth.
“The Kings will be going all out to get points in Bloemfontein, but it will be difficult for them. It is difficult getting confidence back after such a long list of losses,” Van Jaarsveld said.
“But it will be a tough battle, specially up front where they will try to maul us. The Kings mauled very well in Port Elizabeth and we will work on that.
“The Kings have scrummed well all season and that is one of the most important things in this PRO14 competition. They have lots of experience there with Schalk Ferreira, who leads the guys.
“It is not easy when you lose game after game, but there is good talent in the Kings team,” Van Jaarsveld said.
In the first of back-to-back PRO14 derbies, the Kings went down 45-21 in Port Elizabeth after they failed to hammer home their advantage after the Cheetahs were reduced to 13 men.
When Charles Marais and Junior Pokomela were given their marching orders with 10 minutes left, the Cheetahs led 31-14, and the Kings must have harboured hopes of a late comeback.
But the yellow cards inspired the Cheetahs, who finished strongly with tries from the industrious Nico Lee and Jacques du Toit.
Now the Kings must press the reset button and start afresh as they seek their first win after 12 consecutive defeats in the competition.
Asked what a first win would mean for his team, Willemse said: “That first win will be massive for everyone in the squad and even for the whole of Port Elizabeth.
“It will bring a vibe for the city and everyone gets excited about the team. Looking back at Super Rugby, when you got a win it helps the spirits going into the next week.
“We really want it and I’m sure this weekend it’s going to come. We are looking forward to the match and hopefully that win comes very soon,” Willemse said.
Cheetahs coach, Rory Duncan, said the yellow card issue will be discussed with the players.
“We’re having a look at the decisions made,” Duncan said. Teams:
Southern Kings: (Nos 15 to 9): Ntabeni Dukisa, Michael Makase, Harlon Klaasen, Luzuko Vulindlu, YawPenxe, Martin du Toit, Rowan Gouws. (Nos 1 to 8): Schalk Ferreira, Michael Wilemse (capt), Pieter Scholtz, Stephan Greeff, Bobby de Wee, Andisa Ntsila, Martinus Burger, Ruaan Lerm. Replacements (Nos 16 to 23): Tango Balekile, Johan Smith, Dayan van der Westhuizen, Lindokuhle Welemu, Eital Bredenkamp, Rudi van Rooyen, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Berton Klaasen
Cheetahs: (Still to be named) The match will be shown live on SS1 at 5pm.