Free-scoring Cheetahs ticked several boxes in their Unlocked opener

The Cheetahs played some scintillating rugby in patches during their opening match of their Super Rugby Unlocked campaign against the Pumas in Bloemfontein on Saturday and opened their account with a resounding 53-31 victory.

But coach Hawies Fourie wasn’t very charmed with the four tries that his team leaked in the second half after leading 41-3 at the break.

So, ahead of this Friday’s match against the Bulls, we take a look at the pros and cons of the Bloemfontein-based outfit’s first round performance.

The boxes they ticked

Attack and launch: The Cheetahs scored six un-answered tries before the break, with speedy left-wing Malcolm Jaer notching up a hat-trick and right-winger Rosko Specman, a brace.

“The first half was really good, we had a good game plan and stuck to it very well,” commented Fourie.

“The discipline was good, we conceded very few turnovers, and if I recall, I think there was just one handling error in that entire first half,” he pointed out.

Phase play and set-pieces: The Cheetahs worked hard to retain the ball through phase play and sustained the pressure on the Pumas defence.

“Our scrums and lineouts were good in the first half particularly and that resulted in us creating multiple opportunities. While we didn’t convert all our chances into points on the board, we did do very well to score six tries before halftime,” said Fourie.

Impressive debuts by Frans Steyn and Andisa Ntsila: The highly experienced Steyn, who started at centre, played very well and generally controlled the game. His tactical kicking was also out of the top drawer and he also made a few big hits on defence.

“Andisa played well, especially at the breakdown, won a few turnovers and a penalty,” Fourie noted.

The boxes they had to mark with an “X”

Second half shambles: A clearly irritated Fourie said:  “I have to honestly say I was happy with very little in the second half. Our set-pieces weren’t great, the defence certainly wasn’t up to scratch, we conceded far too many penalties and the discipline was really shabby. These are areas we will really have to work hard on this coming week.”

Poor discipline: “Chucky (replacement hooker Louis van der Westhuizen) was a bit unlucky with an illegal tackle and I clearly understood why referee Jaco Peyper had to show him a yellow card, but yes, I felt sorry for him,” said Fourie.

Long layoff: “After being out for eight months, I guess we can’t complain too much.  I was exceptionally happy with the first half and we can certainly build on that,” added Fourie.

Short turnaround: “We have the Bulls game on Friday and it’s a very short turnaround time. There is no way we can afford to just sit back after halftime, like we did today (on Saturday) and think the game will be in the bag.”

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