VIDEO: Cheetahs sweating on injured duo
It may be ‘mission accomplished’ for the Cheetahs, but coach Hawies Fourie will have a couple of nervous days as he awaits injury updates on two key players.
The Cheetahs secured first place on the standings after the regular season with an impressive first-half performance and a 35-5 bonus-point victory over the Bulls in Bloemfontein at the weekend.
They are in first place with 48 points, followed by the Bulls on 47. Griquas follow in third (36 points), while the Pumas (29 points) complete the semifinal line-up.
The Cheetahs host the Pumas in Bloemfontein on Saturday, while the Bulls – the defending champions of S0uth Africa’s premier domestic competition – face Griquas on the same day in the other semifinal in Pretoria.
Their bonus-point win allowed them to leapfrog the team from Pretoria to the top spot on the standings and earned the right to host the Final – should they beat the Pumas.
Fourie admitted that it was a game of two halves against the Bulls at the weekend – the bonus point wrapped up inside the first half-hour, but a very scrappy second half.
After going 35-0 up – and the game effectively over as a contest – early in the second half, Fourie cleared his bench.
Unfortunately, the replacements did not have the desired impact, with the last half-hour an arm-wrestle in which the Bulls scored the only points.
“I would have liked them to use it a bit better,” he said of the bench players’ game time.
The coach said the first half-hour of the weekend’s win over the Bulls is how they want to play – a high-tempo, physical game.
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“We executed that really well in the first 30 minutes,” he said, adding: “We will need to execute for 80 minutes if we want to beast the Pumas in the semifinal.
“They are a tough team that beat us last week, so they will have the belief that they can do it again.”
Fourie believes his team can also improve on their performance against the Bulls at the weekend, especially the lacklustre second half.
“We know what to expect from the Pumas and it won’t be easy,” he said of the physical onslaught expected from the Nelspruit outfit.
However, the real concerns are on the injury front.
Despite no new injury setbacks, Fourie said it was “doubtful” that two-time World Cup-winning Springbok Frans Steyn would be fit for this week’s semifinal.
Steyn, who last month signed a new one-year deal in Bloemfontein, suffered a hamstring injury early in the first half against Griquas in Round 12.
The 35-year-old missed the loss to the Pumas and the weekend’s win over the Bulls.
“We’ll see this coming week what happens with him,” the coach said of Steyn.
There is some good news, with 25-year-old Reinhardt Fortuin – who injured his quad during training – having returned to training again.
“He did some rehab and running next to the field, so it looks positive for Reinhardt,” Fourie said.
“We will see on Monday how they shape up,” he said of the injured players.
There is young George Lourens, who made his debut against the Pumas, that can also step in.
Siyabonga Masuku, who also missed the 28-29 loss to Pumas due to illness, performed admirably in the No.10 jersey in his comeback at the weekend.
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