Rugby
Set piece battle key in Nelspruit─── MORGAN PIEK 13:33 Tue, 03 Sep 2024
“There is no doubt in my mind that you’ve got to go and play a pressure game there. Obviously set piece and kicking pressure in forcing them to have a go from the back. We’ve had success with that in the past.”
The Toyota Cheetahs will target the Pumas scrum on Saturday in the must-win Currie Cup game in Nelspruit.
The winner of this match will book the only remaining spot in the semi-finals. This game may go right down to the wire and it will be important for both sides to get their basics right, especially in the set piece. While the Cheetahs scrum has functioned well throughout the campaign, their lineout has been far from perfect. It is an aspect of the game which has cost them dearly with over 30 missed lineouts in the campaign.
This will be a tough ask for the defending champions as they have not been able to beat the Pumas in the Lowveld for quite some time.
Western Province did expose the Pumas scrum to a large degree on Sunday during the 39-30 win in Stellenbosch and the Cheetahs have taken notice of it.
The Cheetahs’ assistant coach, Charl Strydom, told OFM Sport that they will back themselves in the scrum.
“There is no doubt in my mind that you’ve got to go and play a pressure game there,” said Strydom.
“Obviously set piece and kicking pressure in forcing them to have a go from the back. We’ve had success with that in the past.
“Then again, if you look at Western Province, they have Steven Kitshoff and Joseph Dweba back, and that makes a huge difference. It’s incredible that two players can make a difference to your team.
“That’s an area where I think Izak van der Westhuizen will be excited about. The maul and scrum opportunities – that is where if you get the basics of the game right, you’re going to put yourself in a good position to win games.”
Saturday’s crunch match at the Mbombela Stadium kicks off at 13:30.
