Hawies: The Cheetahs are 'still relevant'

WATCH as Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie chats to @king365ed after their mid-season friendly win over the Sharks at the weekend.

Fourie said his team wanted to show they can be competitive against South Africa’s four United Rugby Championship teams.

That they did that in a big way – beating the Sharks 40-34 on a hot afternoon in Bloemfontein.

It was a highly entertaining game, with the Sharks outscoring their hosts five tries to four.

Fourie said he was “satisfied” with his team’s performance and what they achieved.

“We wanted to show that we are still relevant,” he told @rugby365com.

He added that the Cheetahs see themselves as one of the ‘big five’ and not just a team left out in the cold.

“It is about showing there is some fight left in the Cheetahs and we still want to go places.”

Fourie added that they still have high hopes of getting back into international competitions and need playing opportunities to do that.

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“A performance like this will show everybody that it is worth making that happen,” he said of their desire to get an invite to partake in a major global event.

The Cheetahs now shift their focus to Friday’s outing against Romanian club side Baia Mare – the last match in their November Challenge series.

Baia Mare demolished a Cheetahs pick-up XV 72-14 in a warm-up match this past Friday, sending a clear message that they are no walkovers.

For the past decade, they have been the most successful team in Romania, winning six Super League domestic championship titles and were runners up in the rest.

They also won two Central and Eastern European Cups, as well as being runners-up once.

“They are not just a physical team, they have some skills as well,” Fourie said, adding: “They can move the ball around.

“They have a few New Zealand players in their backline.

“I was impressed with the speed and skill they play with. It will be a tight contest.

“They are very well organised.”

Fourie said the Cheetahs will look to build on their win over the Sharks and eliminate the errors that still crept into their game.

“It won’t serve any purpose if we beat the Sharks and then pout up an under-par performance against them.

“They will be motivated to prove a point as well,” he said of Friday’s outing against the Romanian visitors.

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