Strauss proud of record-setting side
Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss praised his team after they beat the Stormers in the dying seconds on Saturday to extend their best ever run of form.
The hosts beat the Stormers 26-24 in Bloemfontein – their fifth straight Super Rugby victory – after a successful penalty kick at the death by flyhalf Burton Francis.
"I am just very proud of the boys and of what we have achieved," Strauss said.
"The game was a very close affair near the end and could have gone both ways, but we managed to get the penalty and the victory."
The Stormers controlled the line-outs, and lock Andries Bekker, playing his 100th Super Rugby game, made a nuisance of himself, disrupting the Cheetahs' possession on numerous occasions. The hosts, however, were solid in the scrums.
"The line-outs are one area that we will look at this week," Strauss said.
"Credit must go to the Stormers because they disrupted us there.
"I thought we were good in the scrums though. We knew it was going to be a tough game – these local derbies always are – but we stayed calm near the end and pulled it through.
"I am very pleased. Now we travel to Pretoria for another local game next week against the Bulls. It’s going to be another tough one, but we are looking forward to it."
Stormers captain and centre Jean de Villiers admitted the Cape side were beaten by a better team on the day. The visitors led 24-23 in the dying stages before ill discipline cost them the game.
"I thought that the last penalty could have gone either way, but credit must go to the Cheetahs. We were beaten by a quality side," De Villiers said.
"For us it is about progress. Every week is a must-win for us.
"We made many errors on the day that cost us dearly, but we won't make any excuses.
"We just need to bounce back next week. Come Monday we need to pitch [at training] with a good attitude."
While the Cheetahs climbed to sixth place in the overall standings, the Stormers were left in 11th position after going down in their fourth defeat in six matches this season.
SAPA
