VIDEO: Cheetahs' fightback built on 'trust'
REACTION: Cheetahs head coach Izak van der Westhuizen praised his team’s character after coming from behind on the scoreboard for a second week in a row to secure valuable Currie Cup points.
Last week the Cheetahs fought back from being 3-24 down to secure a 34-all draw with the Bulls in Bloemfontein and on Saturday in Cape Town, they had to dig deep again after going down 0-13 after 21 minutes against Western Province.
This time, the Cheetahs came away with a 26-19 bonus-point win at a rain-soaked Cape Town Stadium.
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“It does help the players to know that they can come back from being behind,” Van der Westhuizen told @rugby365com.
“They’ve learned that they can do it and they have trust in each other and they have trust in the system.
“Last week, the execution just let us down and it happened this week again – a kick that didn’t go out led to that first try and a kick-off that went directly into touch.
“Small things like that can put you under pressure.
“We just want to learn to start a little bit better in the upcoming games.”
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On the conditions in Cape Town, Van der Westhuizen added: “The guys showed a lot of character. We wanted to play running rugby, but the conditions didn’t allow it, but they still found a way to get the win.
“Those conditions are something we are not used to.
“You can’t prep for it. It doesn’t matter how hard you try.
“It is wet and slippery and the wind was swirling around. It was tough, so I think the guys did a good job.”
By Angus Opperman and Warren Fortune
