Without doubt the game of the weekend and also a match with many side plots.
Jan de Koning – Rugby365
WP coach Allister Coetzee this week likened the game to a Super 14 match, saying: “It’s the real thing Saturday and the players understand that. You have to be as good as you have been in the Super 14.
“We have to get up to that level and you have to make sure you put your hand up to be in contention for the Super 14 next year. And it’s a great opportunity to measure yourself against the Cheetahs this weekend.”
He expects the Cheetahs to be tough opponents on their home turf.
“They’re a confident side and because they’ve won the Currie Cup before they have the know-how.
“They shared the competition with the Bulls a few years ago. It seems that they make a step-up in the competition and the continuity of not losing guys to the Boks does help a lot.”
If their last encounter is anything to go by, this will be a cracker.
Referee Marius Jonker, who will also referee this game, handled the game when the Cheetahs snatched a 33-31 victory over WP in Bloemfontein – after Jonker penalised WP for collapsing a maul and awarded the hosts a penalty try in the final seconds of the game.
Former SA Under-20 flank Rynardt Elstadt and flyhalf Lionel Cronje (if he comes off the bench) will make their debuts for Province on Saturday.
Cheetahs flyhalf Louis Strydom will earn his 100th Currie Cup cap this Saturday. He will be up against former Free State No.10 Willem de Waal.
And later in the game we can look forward to Springbok flank Juan Smith coming off the bench for the Cheetahs.
Most recent results:
2007: FS Cheetahs won 45-13, Bloemfontein
2007: Western Province won 34-20, Cape Town
2008: Western Province win 9-3, Cape Town
2008: Western Province won 35-17, Bloemfontein
2009: Western Province won 19-13, Cape Town
2009: FS Cheetahs won 33-31, Bloemfontein
rugby365.com Prediction: No doubt this will be a thrilling game and it is likely to go tight down to the wire. The Cheetahs look to have a bit more experience and this early in the season calm heads often wins crunch games. However, this game is almost too tough to call and you then have to fall back on the home ground and experience factors. The WP tight five looks to have the measure of the Cheetahs pack, while the backlines bristle with exciting talents. We are going with a narrow home win – the Cheetahs by less than 10 points.
Teams:
Free State Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Philip Snyman, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Louis Strydom, 9 Tewis de Bruyn, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Francois Uys, 6 Hendro Scholtz (captain), 5 Waltie Vermeulen, 4 Izak van der Westhuizen, 3 WP Nel, 2 Skipper Badenhorst, 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 PW van Vuuren, 17 Kobus Calldo, 18 Juan Smith, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20 Tertius Carse, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Corné Uys.
Western Province: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Fabian Juries, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Paul Bosch, 11 Frikkie Welsh, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynardt Elstadt, 6 Pieter Louw, 5 Anton van Zyl (captain), 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JD Moller, 18 JC Kritzinger, 19 Martin Muller, 20 Pieter Myburgh, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Lionel Cronjé.
Referee: Marius Jonker (SARU)
Assistant referees: Tiaan Jonker (SARU), Christi du Preez (Eastern Province)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (Boland)
July 10th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Liewe fok what a kak game. WP is a kak team. Cheetahs have one of the worst backlines in Curie Cup history.
No 9/10/12 or wings! Fokof Hawies.
July 10th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Reply to entropy @ 7:45 pm:
That’s because the endless seamless flood of local talent is drying up
No Boere playing
Is no CC
And so the cancer of no more good players spreads from the Lions to WP to the Cheetahs to the Sharks…
So who is next do you think
Oh I forgot as soon as SARU “markets” rugby to “Africans” we’ll have an endless talent pool just straining at the leash to play in green and goold to whom Bryan Habana and not Steven Pienaar will be their hero…
NOT
Face it
Amongst the primary constituents i.e. whites
School rugby is dying
Club rugby is dying
Provincial rugby is dying
and our international team just got hammered by a second class Kiwi outfit
And so it begins…
2025 boys
July 11th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Reply to entropy @ 7:45 pm: Agree kak game, backup players now needs to step up. Fisrt CC game of the season hope it get’s better and not worse.
At GW played some nice rugby in the second half
July 12th, 2010 at 9:47 am
It has bEEn a while since I have sEEn such ineptitude from a Oranje Backline.
Forwards started weLL but got outclaSSed in the tightstuFF by the Province pack- ably spearheaded by Liebenberg and suPPorted by Vermeulen and Van Zyl.
The loSS of lineoutball and a reversing scrum ( yeah right- the scrum have lost its place in Union
), put paid to any hopes of a ChEEtah victory.
When Smith came on the forwards lOOked beTTer but not even he could have changed that ship around.
The chEEtahs pack problems can easily be solved once the first team players return from injury- but the biGGest cancer in FS Rugby is @ 9, 10, 12 and 13.
Nokwe did nothing more or leSS than usual, Snyman was ok-ish at wing and DaNNiLLer the only ChEEtah backline player that lOOked like he want to play.
Isnt it ironic, ChEEtahs have this much problems in the back- both on defence and with baLL in hand.
July 12th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Reply to WiLLem @ 9:47 am:
As close as the game was on the scoreboard I felt WP was never under any real pressure.
July 12th, 2010 at 9:55 am
What I saw of the game I liked the look of Jantjes. Bosch also looks like a handy player.
July 12th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Reply to Morné @ 9:48 am:
Morne
There was preSSure on Provins in the first 20
The ability of the chEEtahs backline in its cuRRent lineup on aTTack is just – weLL – not op to first claSS rugby standard.
Same for its defence.
This aLLowed the ProvincePack to aPPly some seriously slowpoison to a very young but stiLL wiLLing pack. By the last 10 minutes of the first half the chEEtah pack was against the ropes, temporarily lifted by Jean Smith- who tried his best but could not make a noticable diFFerence.
He should have gone for poles with the score @ 11-22, but gambled and the next 5 minutes of exceLLent defence for provins secured the win.
July 12th, 2010 at 10:02 am
Reply to JT @ 9:55 am:
JT
WP deserved the win- no doubt about that.
Some critical aspects of the ChEEtahs are just so pOOr- I am not sure that Provins should take anything but the points- to heart, from the game.
It is obvious that the momentum play that was evident from the last part of the S14 was created by a pack that is mostly injured right now and the Griqua players in the backline.
Long 11.1.11 CC season for me ahead again!
July 12th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Cheetah’s front-row is nothing without Adriaan Strauss…
July 12th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Reply to WiLLem @ 9:56 am:
Jean Smith
====
?
Is dit dieselfde as Juan Smith,
of ‘n nuwe ou?
Ek kon sweer ek het Juan gesien.
July 12th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Reply to Boertjie @ 10:58 am:
Eish Oudste
soRRy
JUAN Smith
wEErEEns soRRy
ek het ‘n biekie vergEEt jy lAAik van speLLing Tjek!
July 12th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 10:57 am:
Yip and Wia was miSSed as weLL.
Coenie OOsthuizen have a way to go stiLL!
July 12th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Reply to WiLLem @ 11:37 am:
Wia + Wian Du PrEEz
July 12th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
thought Bosch and Whitehead were particularly good… superb defence all day…
as they settle and their confidence grows they willoffer more on attack and we’re going to see some good rugby from these two…
WP got good depth at centre… considering Jaque, JdJ & JdV are away… Then there’s Morgan.. and Frikkie is also a useful centre…
July 12th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Reply to UFO @ 12:09 pm:
Agree to a point… Ek LAAIK Frikkie fokkol!