VIDEO: Hard work is just starting says Cheetahs captain
REACTION: Cheetahs captain Ruan Pienaar admitted the hard work has officially started for his team.
The Cheetahs put their campaign firmly back on track with a bonus-point 38-21 win over Western Province in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
The Cheetahs outscored the WP four tries to three.
While scrumhalf and captain Pienaar was in fine from adding 23 points to his team’s tally with two conversions, four penalties and a crucial second-half try.
The Cheetahs started like a house on fire with Duncan Saal scoring inside the opening minute.
However, there is little time to appreciate the win, as they only have four days before they face the Sharks.
The Cheetahs are sixth on the Currie Cup table with nine log-points from just four games.
“We have never experienced a short turnaround [this season],” Pienaar told reporters following the win.
“We played against Griquas and then we had a long break before the fixture against the Pumas. After that our match against the Lions was cancelled, so this is a first for us.
“I think the challenging part of our competition is starting and in the next few days, we will discover how to approach it.
“Recovery time is limited and we will have to focus more on video work and analysing the Sharks – we can’t spend a lot of time on the field.”
He added: “We are not world-beaters yet.
“We know there is a lot of hard work still to be done and we facing a really good Sharks team, who want to make Durban proud after a very sad week.”
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Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie conceded the short turnaround certainly makes his work more challenging.
“A person is so used to a week between matches and during the Preparation matches in March we had up to 10 days to recover.
“So, a person really has to adapt.
“However, we planned around this and we have a plan on how we are going to approach the last few days.
“Continuity is going to be important and player management will be vital,”
The coach also revealed that flank Andile Ntsila, fullback Craig Barry and utility back Tian Meyer will return from injuries at the end of the month.
The Cheetahs take on the Sharks at the Free State Stadium on Saturday.
