Caretaker coach Labeeb Levy has warned Western Province that the Free State Cheetahs are always a threat, ahead of Saturday’s Currie Cup clash in Bloemfontein.
The Cheetahs will host WP in a highly anticipated match at Free State Stadium. The home team are currently top of the log, having won six of eight matches so far, while Province is sitting in fourth place.
The match promises to be an enthralling encounter, with both teams looking to assert their dominance and gain an advantage heading into the business end of the season. Cheetahs will be hoping to maintain their strong run, while Province will be aiming to make it two wins in a row and secure a valuable away win.
The Free Staters have already beaten Province this season, in Cape Town, and speaking during a WP conference on Wednesday, Levy told reporters: “The one thing about Cheetahs, especially in Bloem, is they don’t go away. When Western Province has won there, it’s been very close, and that was by leading after 20, 30 points. They’re always in it.
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“If they had been playing URC, this would be their URC team. They’re a proud team, a proud union, and they will obviously come hard at us and they will be going for the win, especially after they beat us a few weeks ago. We played well in the first half, but in the second half they actually dominated us.
“They’ll be coming for us but in the same breath they’ve also tweaked how they play and they don’t just play that total wide-wide game from previously; they’ve worked on their set piece, have a good maul and added a kicking game to their arsenal.
“So we’ve looked at them and know where their strengths are, and possible weaknesses which we’re hoping to exploit.
“From our side we’ve prepared accordingly and had a good week in terms of commitment and intensity. We know it’s going to be an intense game and possibly a shootout, depending on how both teams pitch up.”
Levy also revealed that WP veteran centre and skipper Juan de Jongh is up for selection again after missing last week’s 31-7 win against the Vodacom Bulls due to an injury concern.
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