CHEETAHS coach Franco Smith faces the kind of selection dilemma that will make him the envy of most of his Currie Cup counterparts.
He has to decide on a playmaker for Saturday’s Currie Cup-opener against the Blue Bulls in Bloemfontein and he has four flyhalves who all stake a decent claim for a starting spot.
Although Joe Pietersen has crossed the Malutis to the Natal Sharks‚ Smith has to weigh up the credentials of Sias Ebersohn‚ Fred Zeilinga‚ Willie du Plessis and Niel Marais for Saturday’s clash.
Ebersohn is back from Perth where he represented the Western Force with mixed success‚ Zeilinga crossed the Malutis in the other direction‚ Du Plessis featured in last year’s Currie Cup‚ while Marais made the considerable jump from Varsity Cup to Super Rugby earlier this season.
Should Smith opt for experience‚ Ebersohn will more than likely get the nod. Zeilinga holds the promise of conjuring opportunity from nothing‚ as does Marais with an unlikely frame‚ while Du Plessis is a man for the averages.
The competition among the loose forwards will be equally fierce with Boom Prinsloo‚ Niell Jordaan‚ Henco Venter‚ Tienie Burger and Jean Cook contesting the three positions.
Prinsloo will almost certainly play given his successful Super Rugby campaign in which he scored the most tries by a South African.
Burger’s stock soared after he had to replace the injured Heinrich Brüssow in Super Rugby‚ while Cook has looked impressive when he hasn’t been dogged by injury.
The most likely formation should see Burger and Prinsloo pack down on the side of the scrum with Cook starting at No 8.
In that event‚ what the Cheetahs may lack in height at the lineout they will gain in speed to the breakdown‚ which will be the life blood of the quick-paced game they are likely to play in this campaign.
Elsewhere‚ wing Sergeal Petersen is still on the injured list with a troublesome ankle and is unlikely to feature this weekend‚ but prop BG Uys may make his return from injury.
Meanwhile‚ the Bulls will be without flank Arno Botha for the opening month of the competition.
Botha did himself another mischief by suffering a medial meniscal tear in his knee‚ but Lappies Labuschagne‚ Jurgen Visser and Roelof Smit should be eligible for selection having recovered from injury and illness. – The Times
Source: RDM News Wire.
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