Win or kiss your Currie Cup dreams goodbye.
That’s the sobering equation for Frans Steyn and his Cheetahs with just one round in the SA Cup left to play.
The Cheetahs sit third on the log with their place in South Africa’s premier provincial competition hanging by a thread. Only the top four SA Cup sides will qualify for the Currie Cup, and while several mathematical scenarios exist, Steyn admits there’s really only one option.
“The ball is in our hands. We must win and that’s it,” the Cheetahs coach told the media on Tuesday.
It’s a daunting assignment. Griquas have swept all eight matches in the competition and haven’t lost to the Cheetahs in their last seven official encounters – a run that includes one draw.
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But Steyn insists his side won’t be rolling over.
“They are a very good team and things are going very well with them at the moment. They have had quite a while to build this group,” he said.
“We can’t make mistakes at all, because they have a bunch of lethal players off mistakes. That’s where they’ve really hurt us the last few years. So we have to be at our best.”
The Cheetahs have placed themselves in this precarious position and Steyn knows it. After four consecutive away matches and endless bus trips, they’re finally back at the Free State Stadium – a venue Steyn ominously refers to as “the graveyard”.
“Fortunately the match is at the graveyard. It’s nice and green now, but come Friday, we’re going to have to turn it into a graveyard,” he warned.
Griquas have already secured a home semi-final, but Steyn dismissed any notion that Pieter Bergh’s side will arrive with reduced intensity.
“Listen, I know Pieter Bergh. To think for one moment they are going to show up… And we want it more than them. That’s not going to happen.”
Photo: Danie Van Der Lith/Gallo Images
The post Steyn: Cheetahs must win appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Frans Steyn says the equation for the Cheetahs is simple as they head into the final round of the SA Cup: win or kiss your Currie Cup dreams goodbye.
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