The Toyota Cheetahs have set the pace for much of the tournament and will be desperate to bounce back after their loss in the 10th round. One of the biggest clashes of the round sees the log leaders, the Toyota Cheetahs travelling east to tackle the Cell C Sharks in Durban on Friday at 19h05.
The Durbanites made a statement when they downed the defending champions last week and could strengthen their bid for a home semi-final with a further win against the men from Bloemfontein.
Once more the Cell C Sharks are thrust into a huge Currie Cup clash when they host log leaders Toyota Cheetahs. It’s been a case of one massive challenge after the other, but each one faced bravely and successfully in the last month, to the point where they are now chasing their fifth straight victory in the competition.
“The win over the Pumas last week keeps momentum and the team vibe up and that psychological stuff matters, it is important,” explains Currie Cup head coach Joey Mongalo.
“It’s also good for the boys to have been in a place where they’ve won a game that looked unlikely, and somewhere in the backend of the season, they may find themselves in a similar position. So the fact that they’ve been there before is a massive thing for the group.”
Looking forward to the Free State game, Mongalo accedes that a good team doesn’t lead the log for no reason, “There’s a reason they lead and that’s because they’re a very good team, one of the better teams who are likely to score from their maul when they get into your 22.
“They’re a team that focuses on position-based attack, so our defence will have to stand up, but we have a proud defensive record, especially at home, so we want to ensure that we match fire with fire. That we match on defence what they bring on attack with the right resources, planning, heart, desire and character from people who really care about this brand and are passionate about it.
“This Currie Cup is unrelenting, so it’s more of the same for us, every week you have the opportunity to keep momentum, or you can lose it and we can’t afford to lose any momentum.”
With reference to team selection, the coach points out that continuity is key. “We’re trying to stick as much as possible with the same group to give those guys an opportunity to improve on their performances last weekend. Any other changes are due to injury, but apart from that, we’re trying to build consistency and momentum for the rest of the competition.”
The Toyota Cheetahs head coach, Hawies Fourie named the starting line-up.
“The battle upfront is going to be massive. They’ve got a good scrum at the moment, a good maul, and that’s an area we have to match them and try to get the better upper hand,” said Toyota Cheetahs Forwards Coach Izak van der Westhuizen.
“If we want to be the best, we have to play against the best, no matter what team they put out there. We have to play them to beat them.” Said George Cronje, eight-man of the Toyota Cheetahs.
A couple of changes were made from last week: Marnus van der Merwe and Louis van der Westhuizen switch places, with Marnus in the starting line-up. Rynier Bernardo and Friedle Oliver return to their regular positions. George Lourens is the flyhalf, while Reinhardt Fortuin is getting married.
Teams:
Cell C Sharks: 15 Nevaldo Fleurs, 14 Yaw Penxe, 14 Murray Koster, 13 Murray Koster, 12 Alwayno Visagie, 11 Aphelele Fassi, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Tiaan Fourie, 8 Henco Venter, 7 James Venter, 6 Dylan Richardson, 5 Reniel Hugo (captain), 4 Jeandre Labuschagne, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Fezokuhle Mbatha, 1 Khwezi Mona. Replacements: 16 Dameon Venter, 17.Dian Bleuler, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Marco de Witt, 20 Sikhukbuzo Notshe, 21 Celimphilo Gumede, 22 Bradley Davids, 23 Marnus Potgieter
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 David Brits, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 Cohen Jasper, 10 George Lourens, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 George Cronje, 7 Friedle Olivier, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Victor Sekekete (c), 4 Rynier Bernardo, 3 Hencus van Wyk, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Schalk Ferreira. Replacements: 16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Nqobisizwe Mxoli, 18 Dolph Botha, 19 Sibabalo Qoma, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Siya Masuku, 22 Rewan Kruger, 23 Evardi Boshoff.