The Cheetahs have named their team to face the Lions in the second match of the Lions Challenge, which doubles as a preseason friendly for the men from Bloemfontein, with Naka Drotske resting, or rather saving, key players.
Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss will not take part in the game and neither will Juan Smith, Heinrich Brussow or newly signed Johann Sadie, with Smith and Brussow fit and training, but being saved for Super Rugby, while Sadie has a slight hamstring strain. There is also no sign of the young Johan Goosen.
The biggest problem for Drotske at the moment is his second row, with his first choice pairing of Martin Muller and Andries Ferreira set to miss the opening weeks of Super Rugby. Muller has been ruled out for up to three months, while Ferreira is set to miss the opening match against the Sharks as well as the four week tour thereafter.
Robert Ebersohn will take over the captaincy for this match while we see the Francois Brummer taking the flyhalf berth outside Piet van Zyl. The loose trio of Prinsloo, Daniller and Schoeman is an exciting one, with Daniller making his first appearance in the orange strip.
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Jannie Boshoff, 13 JP Nel, 12 Robert Ebersohn (captain), 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Pieter van Zyl, 8 Boom Prinsloo, 7 Tertius Daniller, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Lodewyk de Jager, 3 Rossouw de Klerk, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Caylib Oosthuizen.
Substitutes: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Ligtoring Landman, 19 Waltie Vermeulen, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Barry Geel, 22 Hansie Graaff.
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Where is Sarel Pretorius? Is he also being rested?
as per my understanding Goosen is (still) injured …
The Cheetahs would well and truly be our worst Super Rugby side without the Griquas men
Its a bit of a slap in the face for the Lions, hey?
Its very much a second string outfit for the Cheetahs.
I completely forgot about Pretorius, I remember now that he is not going back to the Waratahs..
I wonder if the Lions will rest their stars too? Oh, wait…
@robdylan (Comment 5) : Even with stars rested it’s not a bad Cheetahs team at all. I’m keen to see how Prinsloo, Boshoff, Rhule and Schoeman do.
Van Zyl is also very good!
Not THAT a bad side. On par with the Kings
@Ludz (Comment 3) : You clearly didn’t that comment through much: Griquas players likely to make the final squad: Adriaanse (maybe), Landman, Schoeman (till Brüssow returns), Brummer (back up to Goosen), Jansen and le Roux.
So hardly any players that would light up the playing field. Jansen and le Roux being the only likely starters, once Brüssow and Goosen are fit.
As for your assertion that the Cheetahs are weak, well maybe you forget that the Sharks were getting their asses handed to them on a plate, until Brüssow got injured, and that was without Coenie, Goosen, van Zyl and a few others.
You may end up eating your humble pie sooner than you think. Sharks team sans Bissie isn’t looking to flash either. One injury away from being derailed again. Beast goes down with a heart flutter again, and you are back to Chadwick, who couldn’t scrum against a Varsity Cup side.
Lets see….. Rugby on…. lets watch this as if it is real
First penalty going the way of the Lions, Cheetah going of his feet…
Fb for the lions Boshoff miss from straight infront
Jp Nel over after a nice bid of play by the Cheets….
Good kick by Bummer
Cheetahs 7 – 0 Lions
10 min
Bummer hits the posts with a PK
Rhule gets a yellow for tip-tackle…
Ruan Nell over for the first points for the Lions….
Boshoff converts…
Cheetahs 7 – 7 Lions
30 min
Rule just back on and goes over for a try, TMO asked for the last pass…..
No problem…..
Bummer conversion miss from the side line….
Cheetahs 12 – 7 Lions
10 min
Cheetahs opt to rest stars against Lions
They have STARS?!?!?!?!?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 17) : Hehe
Howzit mate?
Same score @ half time
Touch… set…..
sounds much better
Lions by two on Superbru
@SteelShark (Comment 21) : I choose not to play this one….. also cutting Heinekke cup and the s14 out so not to get to tired of rugby this year…
Daniller over in the corner…. good play by Cheets….
Brummer miss again
Cheetahs 17 – 7 Lions
49 min
Lionel miss a dropgoal chance…..
@Franshark (Comment 22) :
Ek speel net die rugby games. Soccer, cricket en die res skip ek heeltemal
@SteelShark (Comment 25) : ek skip ook die res die jaar, Gaan hou by S15, 4nations, 6nations en CC…
En dan virseker FL en LMS…..
Great play by Lions, good individual play by Stokkies, try time…
Its converted
Cheetahs 17– 14 Lions
55 min
Bandiso breaks from a turnover, kick ahead and Volmink goes over for another quick try
Cheetahs 17 – 21 Lions
56 min
After about 8 minutes for the Cheets on the Lions line, the lions come away and score again….
Cronje score
Cheetahs 17 – 28 Lions
66 min
One meter from the line and the Cheets loose the ball.
Lionel Cronje having a ball on the field…. intersept and a try scored by Stokkies….
Cheetahs 17 – 33 Lions
72 min
Cheetahs again looses the ball close to the line….
lions back in Cheets 22
Its the Lions’ to lose now
I just wanne say, Saturday afternoon, hot, braai, Rugby….. almost back to normal
@Franshark (Comment 34) : Only a few more weeks
Cheetahs moet score, I need a margin point
Lions short, hooter goes,
Cheetahs 17 – 33 Lions
Full Time
Sounds like it was a great game, I’m disappointed I missed it.
2 from 2
Pretty lekker game this was, only saw the second half where the Lions started scoring those tries.
Great running rugby, everything done at pace which was great to watch.
Seems Lionel Cronje (and MOST SA FH’s) love a more attractive brand of rugby and thrive in those environments.
@KingCheetah (Comment 8) : Gawd…you r one to talk about Bissie and injuries…your matchwinning Cheetahs Team consisting of Brussouw and Goose are quite the injury free fairies!
Lionel Cronje ,Bondisio ,Derick Mienie ,Anthony Volmick & Andries Coetzee are all superb players.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Lionel Cronje and Coetzee play 12 and 13 together.
Cheetahs need to shape up
Imagine this backline
9.Van Zyl
10.Goosen
11.Rhule
12.Cronje
13.Ebersohn
14.Le Roux
15.Coetzee
Some of the new younger backline players in the Lions are also promising .That Boshoff is a talented kid
@FireTheLooser (Comment 40) : very happy to see him play so well, oh the great Crunch, that oke is the finest schoolboy flyhalf I ever watched, not even Goosen was that good at school
@Talent (Comment 44) :
Boshoff plays for Griquas now
@TRF_Ezequiel (Comment 46) : marnitz plays for Griquas. Brother Ruan plays for the Lions.
Actually, marnitz already left Griquas and is with the Pumas now, if memory serves.
Hah, and I was talking about Jannie Boshoff
Marnitz moved to the Lions, I think
I need some Sharks rugby now!!!
@TRF_Ezequiel (Comment 49) : oh sorry ja. Marnitz to the Lions from Griquas. Ruan used to be with them but is now somewhere else.
So hard to keep up.
I was thinking of Watermeyer who left Kwas to join the Pumas.
Too many sodding players with the same surname. Tell the afrikaners to stop being so in-bred
I think we can have a team with just 3 or 4 surnames combined. Imagine that…
1. BJ Botha
2. Gary Botha
3. Heinke van der Merwe
4. Flip van der Merwe
5. Franco van der Merwe
6. Marcell Coetzee
7. Arno Botha
8. Ruan Botha
9. Jacques Coetzee
10.Andre Pretorius
11.Senan van der Merwe
12.Dewald Pretorius
13.Juan Pretorius
14.Braam Pretorius
15.Andries Coetzee
16.Adriaan Strauss
17.Marcel van der Merwe
18.Bakkies Botha
19.Joshua Strauss
20.Sarel Pretorius
21.Andries Strauss
22.Malan van der Merwe
And I didn’t even use du Plessis, Potgieter, Kruger, Steenkamp or Steyn as surnames for this