Cheetahs never stopped believing
Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss says belief in their own abilities ensured their historic passage to the Super Rugby play-offs.
The Bloemfontein side secured their first-ever spot in the knock-out phase of the competition with a 34-13 victory over the Blues on Saturday, leaving Strauss a very satisfied skipper.
"Our mindset is definitely the difference between this year and last year. This year we really had the belief that we can make it," he explained.
The Free State side have a bye next week with the guaranteed four bonus points confirming their participation in the knock-out games.
"We've had some good results and some youngsters also put up their hands," Strauss said.
"We've got a bit of a rest now but we'll still be training for the play-offs. That's for sure."
Their performance against the Blues was in stark contrast to their 28-3 loss against the Stormers a week ago.
Strauss lauded his team for rising from the ashes to claim their spot in the play-offs two weeks from now.
"I'm very proud of the guys and I think we left a couple of tries out there on the field, but in all it was a good performance," he said.
"This week we stuck to the structures a bit more and every guy just focused on his own job. And it worked on the day."
With the Stormers and Sharks out of contention, the Cheetahs and the Bulls are the South African hopes left in the competition.
SAPA
