Cheetahs new man Rudolph to face Sharks for second time in a week!

Robust loose-forward Jeandre Rudolph is set to face the Sharks for a second time in a week in the Super Rugby Unlocked competition – but for two different teams.

After turning out for the Pumas against the Sharks in Nelspruit last Saturday, Rudolph joined the Cheetahs on Monday and is set to make his debut off the bench on Friday night in Durban.

“Jeandre had quite a good game against the Sharks last weekend; he made a few turnovers at the breakdown,” said Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie on Wednesday when he named his lineup for the match.

Fourie said Rudolph’s work at the breakdown was one of the main reasons why he contracted him.

“I had a chat with him on Monday morning regarding their (the Pumas’) preparation against the Sharks and his view was more or less the same as what we discovered in our analysis of the Sharks,” he said.

“Jeandre spent most of his time this week getting to know all our calls, and what he needs to do. He has become part of the unit over the last few days.”

Fourie is also delighted that former Springbok flank Oupa Mohoje is back in the picture following injury setbacks and a positive Covid-19 test.

“It’s a long time since he has been on the field. He has recovered well though and is back to full fitness,” said Fourie. “We are really looking forward to his performance.”

Lying second in the standings after playing just two games (with the Lions points shared following that game’s cancellation), Fourie said his players were determined to win the Super Rugby Unlocked competition, before focusing on the newly named Carling Currie Cup – of which they are the defending champions.

“There’s a trophy up for grabs. There’s no semi-final or final with the winner being the team on top of the standings, so in my opinion it’s easier to win this Unlocked competition,” he said.

“In the Currie Cup there will still be two playoff matches to get through and sometimes you will get the team finishing fourth winning the competition,” he said.

“If we win the Super Rugby Unlocked competition we will make a statement anyway,” he said.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.