Cheetahs peaking at the right time
REACTION: Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie reckons his side is peaking at the right time going into their semifinal week after their vital fight-back victory over the Bulls at Loftus the past weekend.
But the first fifteen minutes was torture for the Bloemfontein coach as the Bulls scored three quick tries in succession.
“After the first fifteen minutes I thought maybe I should just go back to Bloemfontein. We handed them easy tries on a platter and it wasn’t easy to watch.
“But after we scored our first try, we came together as a team and showed immense character to get ourselves back into the game. Our defence and attack improved and I thought our kicking game was also very good,” Fourie said.
The victory moved the Free Staters to the top of the table while the Bulls banked two vital bonus points to qualify for the semi-finals in fourth place.
Fourie also credited flyhalf Siya Masuku for his sterling performance after scoring 16 points with the boot.
“I think a guy like Siya must be very happy that he came through 80 minutes of rugby. He played very well. We must also give credit to the forwards for putting the massive pack of the Bulls under pressure.
“I also think it was the best attacking rugby by our backs this season. So it was a complete performance from the team. A lot of credit must also go to our conditioning staff, they were excellent.
“We took a chance to change a lot of players midway through the competition, but it was with the aim of having fresh players during this last section of the Currie Cup without injuries. And I think we mostly succeeded in that.”
According to Fourie the Cheetahs reaped the rewards of playing in the Champions Cup and now the Currie Cup.
“I believe we are peaking at the right time but a lot of hard work still lay ahead. But we gave ourselves the best possible opportunity by ending up at the top of the log with an incredible performance.”
