VIDEO: Bok gives blunt assessment of Currie Cup refs
REACTION: Currie Cup officials have come under the microscope following Cheetahs’ defeat to the Sharks on Saturday.
The Round seven fixture between the Cheetahs and Sharks turned into a very spiteful affair.
Sharks outscored the Cheetahs five tries to four for a 47-30 win.
The result is the Durban-based outfit’s first win since 2018 in Bloemfontein.
It was an entertaining fixture that preluded the Springboks first test against British and Irish Lions.
However, the 80 minutes was marred by nasty exchanges.
Both teams struggled with their discipline while the hosts also received a yellow card with captain Ruan Pienaar sent packing in the 16th minute for killing the ball.
Cheetahs captain Pienaar admitted his team’s silly errors were costly, however, questioned the consistency of officials during Currie Cup matches.
Speaking to reporters after the match, the 88 Test cap Springbok could not contain his disappointment with some of the calls made by referee Marius van der Westhuizen and his team.
“If we can be honest, think there were few dodgy calls,” Pienaar told reporters.
“The consistency of referees feels a bit average in the Currie Cup – it’s very disappointing from a players point of view.
“There were a couple of harsh calls against us.
“But having said that the things we did well on Wednesday [during the win over Western Province] we failed to execute on Saturday,”
He explained: “Our defence wasn’t as aggressive as it was on Wednesday.
“On one of two occasions, our kick-chase wasn’t good enough.
“We know there were a few mistakes but the consistency of some decisions is just amusing sometimes,”
“But obviously disappointing that we didn’t win,”
The Cheetahs face a hectic schedule next month with six fixtures in 20 days.
“It’s certainly not going to get any easier,” Pienaar said.
“Unlike Bulls and Sharks, we don’t have the luxury of having a big squad. They will be able to rotate their guys, whereas as us we have to manage the guys a little bit better.
“We tasted a little bit of the short turnarounds this week, so we know we have to recover well and be better at analysing teams,”
The Cheetahs have a bye this week before travelling to Cape Town to face the WP on August 7.
@rugby365com
#⃣FULLTIME @CheetahsRugby 30 (4 tries, 2 cons, 2 pens) @TheSharksZA 47 (5 tries, 5 cons, 4 pens) @TheCurrieCup #CHEvSHA🇿🇦🏆https://t.co/KPSXLIqK7S
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) July 24, 2021
