Good prep for Challenge Cup says Fourie

REACTION: Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie reiterated how important the games against the Western Force were in their preparation for the Challenge Cup ahead in December.

“We are satisfied with the win against the Force. It was important to us to win the series and there was a bit of pressure on us to win the last game of the series,” Fourie told media during the post-match press conference on Saturday.

“We started off a lot better than some of the previous games scoring two tries in quick succession and got 14-0 up on the scoreboard. It was quite hot during the game – it was about 34 degrees when the game started, so it was tough on the players, especially the second half.

“But we conceded two yellow cards again which was disappointing. We had to play with 13 against 15 where they scored a try to get back into the game. Luckily during this time we kept our cool and finished the game off with a last penalty by Ruan.

“Someone asked me if he kicked those ‘woer-woer’ kicks on purpose – he definitely didn’t. But the wind was against us in the first half and it was difficult to strike the ball perfectly,” Fourie said.

He made special mention of Pienaar, who almost had an unblemished kicking record during this Series.

“I think Ruan needs special mention because in the four games, if I am correct, he only missed two kicks which is incredible for any kicker.

“The forwards did well scoring two maul tries again and kept the pressure on them.

“So we’ve got plenty to work on going into the Challenge Cup in December but we’ve got time. These games against Force were invaluable to us as a team, we’ve grown on and off the field and we know what to work on and what to improve on going into the European Challenge Cup games.”