There is a renewed sense of confidence in the Toyota Cheetahs camp ahead of their Currie Cup game against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
The Cheetahs snapped their three-match winless streak last week with a 29-14 win over the Pumas in Nelspruit and this gave them a home semi-final.
The Cheetahs recently lost to the Lions and Sharks in back-to-back defeats, while they forced a 29-29 draw against the Griquas.
The bonus point win was by far the Cheetahs best performance since their heart-breaking defeat to Toulon in the ECPR Challenge Cup playoffs earlier in the year.
The Cheetahs forward coach, Izak van der Westhuizen, told OFM Sport that there is a new buzz in the camp.
“It was massive win for us,” said the former Cheetahs lock.
“It was not just about securing a home semi-final, but as a team everyone could start feeling things changing for us at half time. It’s almost like we started to get our groove back, so momentum wise it was a really big win for us.
“It’s something that has been spoken and talked about a lot. The fact that we could change things was a big momentum shift for us.”
The Bulls will be targeting the game in the capital city to secure a spot in the semi-finals, while for the Cheetahs there is also a lot a stake. A win could earn them a possible home final. For this to happen, Western Province, will need to upset the young and confident Sharks as well.
Saturday’s match at Loftus Versfeld kicks off at 15:00.
Morgan Piek
