VIDEO: Cheetahs still adapting to European officiating
VIDEO: After securing their first win in Amsterdam, the Cheetahs kept their playoff hopes alive but adapting to European officiating is still a work in progress for the men from the Free State.
The Cheetahs managed to snatch victory in the last minute of the game trailing 17-18 at that stage.
The ball was spun wide to Cohen Jasper after a sneaky steal by replacement scrumhalf Jandre Nel. Jasper sped over to win it 22-18.
This victory saw them finish the penultimate pool round in fifth place tied on six points with the fourth-placed Perpignan,
But the match was marred by the 13 penalties handed to the Cheetahs while they made nine unforced handling errors.
Coach Izak van der Westhuizen commented on the ill-discipline of his side and said they are still getting used to playing in Europe and how the referees officiate these games.
“The discipline put us under a lot of pressure.
“So we will have to look at the areas where the penalties were given so that we can fix it.
“There were two at maul times. We had a discussion with the referee before coming into this game about the mauls specifically,” Van der Westhuizen told reporters after the match.
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“It seems like everyone interprets it a little bit differently and I think because we don’t play in Europe regularly we are still trying to adapt to certain law interpretations.
“We need to learn quicker and we are trying our best with that.
“[The] handling errors are not the way we want to play.
“I think we created a lot of opportunities and we just start to get momentum and we throw the ball out the back and it goes to ground which puts us under pressure,” he added.
Winning their first game in Amsterdam, their home away from home, was a massive boost for the Cheetahs and it also kept their hopes of making the play-offs alive.
But it doesn’t get any easier. They travel to France to face French Top 14 team Lyon on Saturday in another must-win Challenge Cup fixture.
“I said to the guys afterward, it’s our first win in Amsterdam – it’s a big moment for us,” said Van der Westhuizen.
“We had a lot of disruptions in the build-up to this, with guys getting injured and others stepping in on short notice. I think we still managed to get the win in the end, and that just shows the players’ buy-in and their willingness to fight right to the end.
“This will definitely give us confidence. It’s going to be a very tough game ahead. We’re going to work through the niggles and injuries we have and then come up with the best possible plan.
“When it comes to these big games, the guys step up, and hopefully, that’s what we’ll see this weekend – because that’s exactly what we need.”
