Rugby
Cheetahs target breakdown and forward dominance against Cardiff─── MORGAN PIEK 08:36 Fri, 13 Dec 2024
The Toyota Cheetahs aim for an improved performance at the breakdown and greater forward dominance on Saturday when they face Cardiff Rugby in Wales in Round Two of the EPCR Challenge Cup.
In their game against Perpignan in Amsterdam on the weekend, the Cheetahs turned over a lot of ball and boasted the best stats in the competition in this aspect. However, they were less effective in securing their own ball on the ground, which allowed the French Top 14 club to jackal possession frequently.
The forward play was undoubtedly the Cheetahs’ big strength over the weekend, giving them considerable confidence heading into the Cardiff match.
Gideon van der Merwe. Photo: Morgan Piek
With the Welsh team favouring a more structured game and rain potentially in the forecast, forward dominance will be crucial.
The Cheetahs flanker Gideon van der Merwe, who secured the second-highest number of turnovers in Round One, told OFM Sport that improvements are needed.
“We were quite good at the breakdown, but on the opposite side, we struggled with our own breakdown,” said the fiery flanker. “I think we can keep working on our defensive breakdowns – they were good.
‘They pride themselves on working hard as a unit’
“But we need to focus more on our attacking breakdown. We’re happy with the defensive side of things, but we’ll keep building on that while improving our attack.”
The old adage in rugby goes, “The forwards win the match, the backs determine the margin,” and this is something the Cheetahs pack takes to heart. Van der Merwe added that they pride themselves on working hard as a unit and intend to continue putting in the hard yards.
Oupa Mohoje and Victor Sekekete. Photo: Morgan Piek
“We pride ourselves on our forward pack, and coach Sakkie (Izak van der Westhuizen) drives us hard, which is good,” Van der Merwe stated. “The standards are high, so we always know we need to bring our A-game. It’s encouraging to see we can still dominate upfront in Europe, and we’re focused on maintaining that momentum.”
The Cheetahs will announce their team at 15:00 on Thursday, with two tactical changes expected in a horses-for-courses approach to the game.
Saturday’s must-win match between Cardiff and the Cheetahs in the Welsh capital kicks off at 22:00.
