Frans Steyn to haunt Cheetahs players with horror from the archives
SPOTLIGHT: Cheetahs head coach Frans Steyn will not allow his players to forget about the horror show that happened at the Free State Stadium on August 29 this year.
Their old foes, Griquas, arrived in Bloemfontein and recorded a resounding 40-10 win on that day.
It’s a result that is still echoing through the Cheetahs’ camp as they prepare for their Currie Cup semifinal against the same opponents in Kimberley on Saturday.
The story continues below…
“After that game, I told the guys that it is ‘going to stick with you forever while I am here’,” Steyn told Rugby365.
“Every time we think we are too good, I am going to pull that game out of the archives.
“We made some silly mistakes and individual errors, and it cost us in the first 20 [minutes], and hopefully we can fix that and it can be tighter.”
The Cheetahs delivered an encouraging fightback in a 31-35 defeat to the Bulls last weekend, where two losing bonus points pushed them into the play-offs.
While there are still issues with their overall game, Steyn acknowledged that there won’t be major changes with their play-off just days away.
“You are not going to fix it in a week,” Steyn added.
“We have to do whatever we can, and hopefully our stuff is in place and we focus on what we do well and what makes us great. That will be the message from me this week.
“We need to play and we need to express ourselves. If Vic [Cheetahs captain Victor Sekekete] and the players decide they want to run, then they can run.
“If they decided to kick, then they can kick. I think we have done our job this week; training is done. They need to go and enjoy the occasion.
“I’ve been part of a lot of semifinals and Finals in my life, and I’ve lost more than I’ve won, so coaching-wise, we are done now.”
The story continues below…
For captain Sekekete, Griqua Park will be familiar surroundings after he represented the Peacock Blues between 2019 and 2020 before he made the move to Bloemfontein.
“It’s personal, but it’s a semifinal, and we’ve got this far with all the challenges that we’ve had,” said Sekekete.
“It’s about the team now. We’ve played them [Griquas] so much that it’s become so personal, but now it’s time to focus on the objective for the team and what we want for ourselves.”
Meanwhile, the Cheetahs could have an issue in the flyhalf position after Franco Smith Jr. was ruled out with a concussion.
He left the field in the 51st minute after a high tackle by Bulls flank Marcell Coetzee in Pretoria.
With George Lourens, Tiaan Swanepoel, and Ethan Wentzel also on the injured list, the Cheetahs could turn to either Clayton Blommetjies or Cohen Jasper to fill the No.10 spot.
@rugby365com
