Cheetahs wings could be too hot for Bulls

The Cheetahs’ “dancing feet” combination of Rosko Specman and Malcolm Jaer are raising eyebrows and could well become two of the most lethal finishers in the Super Rugby Unlocked competition.

The question now arises whether Jake White’s Bulls can conjure up a plan to contain the two point-scoring machines when they face the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday night (kick-off 7pm).

The pair crossed the opposition tryline five times between them in an eight-try romp against the Pumas last week.

Jaer notched up a hat-trick and former SA Sevens flyer Spekman dotted down twice in the the opener.

In the spirit of the game, Spekman denied himself a third try by slipping a final pass to Ruan Pienaar and allowing his captain to cross the line.

Jaer deservedly got the nod as the Opta Stats and Facts Player-of-the-Round following his exploits against the Mpumalanga visitors.

He spent 62 minutes on the field and made the most clean breaks, had eight carries and one offload, and with 119 metres gained overall, he was one of only three players in week one who gained more than 100 metres.

Malcolm Jaer scored three tries in his team’s first match of the Super Rugby Unlocked campaign. Picture: Gallo Images

The influence and calm head of veteran Springbok centre Frans Steyn also had a big impact, giving fullback Clayton Blommetjies the freedom to operate as a second receiver at times and also allowed time and space for the occasional use of the grubber kick which set up Specman’s first try.

The two outside backs are already being spoken about in the same breath as some feared Bok combinations in years gone by, like Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen; Habana and John Mametsa for the Bulls; and the Ndungane twins, Odwa (Sharks) and Akona (Bulls).

On occasion, the two even worked in tandem and sometimes switched too, with right-wing Jaer popping up on the left-wing for his first try.

That, explained Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie, was not coincidental.

“We try and increase every player’s versatility and don’t encourage them to be stuck in one posiion,” said Fourie.

“That also includes the two wingers popping up next to one another.”

It is no wonder then that Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse said earlier this week that the Jaer/Specman combination would cause “a lot of hurt” for teams in the Unlocked series.

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