Reds to 'turn it around' against Cheetahs
The Reds have been in command in a number of their matches over the last few weeks, but couldn't manage to close out the games and secure wins.
Loose forward Curtis Browning says they'll be looking to turn that around when they host the Cheetahs in Brisbane on Saturday.
The most recent game where they let victory slip from their grasp was their 22-40 loss to the Stormers this past weekend – where they were leading 22-17 going into the third quarter, before the Cape Town-based side produced a comeback that left the Reds trailing in their wake.
They also fell short against the Bulls in similar fashion in Round Eight, when they let a five-point (22-27) deficit turn into a 41-22 whipping at Loftus Versfeld.
"There's no easy week in Super Rugby, but everyone is focused solely on this week and getting the win against the Cheetahs at home," said Browning.
"It's been frustrating from the players' point of view knowing that we've been in games and we've had the leads.
"It's up to us to stay strong and to keep sticking to our structures to put in a solid 80 minute performance and get the win.
"In Super Rugby a few minutes can cost you, so we need to play for 80 minutes against a strong Cheetahs side that put almost 100 on the Sunwolves a few weeks ago."
When asked whether he felt that the pressure on them to deliver is increasing, the 22-year-old responded: "We have high standards for ourselves and we've een pushing for a win since we all came together in the pre-season.
"We've been trying to cope with the losses and it's been hard, but we've each week we reset the focus and try to put in a good performance and get the win each week.
"We've been playing good football and we're improving so I believe that result is around the corner."
The Reds travel to New Zealand after their meeting with the Cheetahs and will face the Crusaders and the Highlanders, and centre Samu Kerevi also emphasised the fact of putting up consistent performances against their opposition.
"We're obviously dissapointed in ourselves and those little lapse where we can't finish, we just need to put in an 80-minute performance and not only deliver for 16 minutes," said Kerevi.
"We need to play out of our sjin and put up a good perfrmance for our home crowd.
"We've had a rough year but I see a lot of things turning."
The 22-year-old midfielder knows the threat that the Bloemfontein side's pacey outside backs pose and he will be particularly focused on his counterpart, Francois Venter.
"They're a very good side, they have a dangerous backline that we have to look out for, especially their number 12, he's a very big guy and I've just got to do my job for myself and those around me.
"We've got to stick to our structures, we can't go out there and play Sevens, we have to be good on defence."
