The Sharks face the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein this weekend, and there will be a big difference in confidence between these two teams going into the match. The home team come off a loss to the Bulls last weekend while the Sharks come off a good win over the Waratahs.
Looking forward to the match, we can compare a few vital points and maybe look to see where the Sharks can attack the Cheetahs and where they will need to be careful, looking at the two teams’ performances over the season so far.
As you are all aware, the Sharks have a reasonably high missed tackle per match stat, but the Cheetahs themselves aren’t known for their defending, and it is here where we need to get our strike runners to run at them, especially in midfield where their centres are pretty small. The Sharks centre combination will be targeted as well, so it will be interesting to see which centres hold up best.
The Sharks have a bad blip on their stats summary for the season, and that is the most basic of basics, handling errors. The Sharks are the team that average the most handling errors in a game of all fifteen teams. Can you imagine where on the log we would have been had this not been the case?
Where the Sharks do make up for it is that they are the best team in the competition when it comes to making errors in kicks out of hand, with the Cheetahs being at the other end of the scale. This should be exploited and the Sharks need to force the Cheetahs into making as many kicks as possible, as we can gain some decent possession from this weakness.
The Cheetahs also rank lowest in the average number of rucks they have in a game, which means that they tend to run the ball more than rucking up the phases, and the Sharks should take note of this and not commit too many guys to the rucks.
The Sharks should have the better of the Cheetahs this weekend, but with the Sharks having one good weekend and then two bad, who knows which team will arrive. I do think though that we have the players available and the form to take full advantage and come away with at least four points.
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GO SHARKS !!!
Don’t get me started…… 😈
Was this written before the team was announced?
The best way to beat the Cheetahs and any other team is by scoring more points than them.
We need to watch the Cheetahs counter and be smarter with our running angles – better support for the ball carrier and play a game with a territory bias.
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 4) : Agree. No need for all the weaknesses and strengths stuff. It is easy to beat the Cheetahs. Just score more points than they do
@SharksRTB (Comment 3) :
What difference does it make?
Not you’re best article Richard but still something to read.
@Speed7 (Comment 7) : Who opened your cage, kitty-meoww??
i just had flashes of ashley johnson running past bosman 😕
@Speed7 (Comment 7) : reckon you should learn the difference between “you’re” and “your” before taking pot shots at the people who write articles here.
@rekinek (Comment 9) : past, over, through… whatever 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 10) : LOL 🙂
@rekinek (Comment 9) :
Thanks now I feel so much better! 😈
@robdylan (Comment 11) : still he same feeling 😕 😆
@Pokkel (Comment 13) : you’re welcome – couldn’t keep it for myself
@Speed7 (Comment 7) : Not “your” best spelling performance but still something to read.
“You’re” looking for trouble. 😉
@rekinek (Comment 9) : you better believe it !!!!!!!!!!! 😆
@robdylan (Comment 10) 😳 I see you already told him.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 17) : Some people needs to be talked to twice….after that it’s bathroom and houtlepel… 😆
Well the easy way is to kick lots of ball out as we have no lineout at all.
VRYSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT to win the game.
@Loosehead (Comment 19) :
Beter Sharks spanne het al teen swakker Cheetah spanne verloor so ek verwag ook ñ Cheetah wen.
how to beat the cheetahs? easy one: PICK THE RIGHT TEAM
@Pokkel (Comment 20) : Ag man – gaan huil in jou hoek! 😆
Ons gaan wen…you heard it from me first! 😉
@Pokkel (Comment 20) : I maintain that we normally fair much worse against weaker teams – Cheetahs and Lions normally – we seem to (with exeption of one or two games this year) get better results playing stronger teams – so if the Cheetahs are on a high and strong now, we are gonna do just fine!
@jovner (Comment 21) :
Amen brother!!
Can I add to that…Get 1 decent backline coach instead of the 2 pretenders we have now!
@Loosehead (Comment 19) : are you implying that we have a lineout
@jovner (Comment 21) : ok this did not happen . any other suggestions?
@Ice (Comment 22) : @Ice (Comment 23) :
Ag Ysie ek is nie altyd so nie maar Plumtree begin my nou blerrie moerig maak.
Om Bosman na 14 weke nog ñ kans te gee is soos om vir Spies vir 2 jaar virrie Bokke op 8 te speel en iets anders te verwag.
And I’m not even that pissed of with Bosman because I think the main problem is in the backline coaching.
The main reason I’m negative is because I watched RE:UNION last night and saw the missed tackle by Bosman again…..dit maak seer man.
How to beat the Cheetahs?
Simple.
First play percentage rugby, meaning you play in their half, so no funny stuff in your own half as the Cheetahs are deadly on any turn overs.
Secondly, the ball should just about never go beyond channel 2 unless a real opportunity presents itself. The Bulls beat you by keeping the ball as far away from your forwards as possible, the Cheetahs will try exactly the same.
Force them to play to the inside (rush up on their 12 and 13) and have your forwards control the ball close in.
You win this game as you won the semi final in the CC last year – having said all that, I have the Cheetahs up for a win – sorry.
The Cheetahs are playing Viljoen at wing so if you kick the ball out far enough so they can’t take a throw-in. Both Viljoen and Daniller have huge boots.
@Pokkel (Comment 28) : Moenie na daai biased tweegat ozzies luister nie man!! Hou moed (ek verstaan waar jy vandaan kom) maar hou net moed! 😉
@Morné (Comment 30) : Thats just perfect with me, knowing your jinxing ability and all!
@Ice (Comment 32) : Hulle is van New Zealand skattie en dit is seker die beste rugby program op TV.
Hulle is nie bang om ñ opinie te lewer nie unlike die klomp banggatte op Supersport.
@Pokkel (Comment 34) : Flok – Ozz / NZ – who cares…same difference! 😆
@Pokkel (Comment 34) : At supersport they deliver their opinion alright, problem is they don’t know much about rugby so their opinions mean sweet blow nothing to me.
@Ice (Comment 33) :
Go look at the leaderboard on SB then we’ll talk again.
Morne was bad last year but this year he’s on good form.
@Ice (Comment 33) :
I think I have dropped that! Have you checked the Sharksworld Bru log lately? 😉
@Pokkel (Comment 37) : @Morné (Comment 38) : Ag Morne!! I am trying to restore the faith here!!! 😉 Jou boelie!!
@Pokkel (Comment 37) : And even the best of the best is human…. 😉 I am sure he has not predicted 100% wins so far….correct? It’s made up by margin and bonus points too…
Sorry Morne – not downplaying your “prestasies” but I have a job to do and I need to get it done before Pokkel breaks his TV before the game!!
@Ice (Comment 40) :
I didn’t know you cared so much! 😀
But expecting a loss and getting a win is a lot better than expecting a win and losing.
@Ice (Comment 40) :
I wouldn’t mind breaking my TV….that will give me an excuse to get that 42inch that you love so much.
@Pokkel (Comment 41) : I am a tough woman Pokkel, I am a mother afterall…the toughest females you can get… 😉
@Morné (Comment 38) : jeez boss… you’re 2nd!
@Ice (Comment 39) :
Hehe, 77% success rate or somewhere there…
@robdylan (Comment 44) :
Not too shabby hey?
BTW dude, just got an SSL security error opening a page here – seems my OS does not like the security certificates SW issues 😉
@Ice (Comment 18) : on that subject: what do u say to a woman with 2 blue eyes…..
……Nothing she’s been told twice already 🙂
@Morné (Comment 45) : please clear your cache and try again.
We’re not even supposed to be using https at all, but somehow some links got out there…
i just don’t know as long as we do our best and win the Cheets then i will be a happy women the time to get ahead is a slim chance if we loose the away games
@Pokkel (Comment 2) :
i have been worked up all season so far
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 4) :
i agree
I just heard on the radio that Coenie Oosthuizen won’t play on the weekend….good news for the Sharks
@Pokkel (Comment 51) : Bad news actually, as we will no only have half as many penalties awarded in our favour. 😛
Why didn`t you guys tell me Mark Lawrence will be our ref tomorrow?!
The Celebrations can begin . . . We`ve got this!
@Original Pierre (Comment 53) : jy moet wakker slaap! They said it yesterday already! 😉
@Ice (Comment 54) : ” Some ppl need to be told twice ”
@Original Pierre (Comment 55) :
@Original Pierre (Comment 55) : Bwhahahahahahaa