Cheetahs coach hopes scratched game will not control their destiny

It will be a travesty, Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie believes, if their cancelled game against the Lions eventually plays a role in the outcome of the winner of the Super Rugby Unlocked series.

Fourie said SA Rugby had confirmed on Wednesday that the game, which was called off last month after Covid-19 spread through the Lions squad, would be registered as no-result and each team would be awarded two log points.

“It might be a debatable issue, but we can’t change that. We have to live with it,” Fourie said.

“They gave us three other dates but that would have meant we would have had to play three games in eight days, which was not possible.

“In the end it might happen that we are one or two log points short, which will be devastating if it happens, but at the moment we still control our own destiny.”

Though they are the only remaining unbeaten team in the competition, the Cheetahs are lying second on the log behind the Bulls, with at least one game in hand over all the other sides.

With plenty to play for in their fixture against the Sharks in Durban on Friday night, Fourie admitted every game was crucial.

“We are still in the running for that first spot in the competition, which makes Friday night’s game the most important one right now,” he said.

Following the withdrawal of Sharks captain and Springbok centre Lukhanyo
Am, Fourie believed his absence could be a huge setback for the Durban side.

“Obviously he is their captain and he had a good World Cup (last year) and Super Rugby before it was suspended,” Fourie said.

“He is a quality player and they will miss him. Lukhanyo has different skills and brings something else to the game.”

Having last played two weeks ago, Fourie felt his team may have lost crucial momentum, but he was confident they could stay unbeaten this weekend.

“Our Monday training session was really poor, but we hope we managed to fix it the next day,” he said.

“The game that was cancelled followed by the bye really wasn’t ideal and breaks a bit of our momentum, but we know what we need to do.”

Cheetahs team: Clayton Blommetjies, Malcolm Jaer, William Small-Smith, Frans Steyn, Rosko Specman, Tian Schoeman, Tian Meyer, Aidon Davis, Junior Pokomela (capt), Andisa Ntsila, JP du Preez, Carl Wegner, Luan de Bruin, Reinach Venter, Charles Marais.

Bench: Jacques du Toit, Boan Venter, Khutha Mchun, Oupa Mohoje, Jeandré Rudolph, Ruben de Haas, Reinhardt Fortuin, Chris Smit.

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