Super 14: The claws come out after Cheetahs lose again

Tuesday 2 March 2010
Published By: Ben Welch
Super Rugby > Hurricanes

Questioned have been raised after Cheetahs suffered their second defeat of the Super 14 campaign against the Highlanders last weekend, with a lack of precision one of the main issues.

The game in Bloemfontein was an evenly-fought contest let down by Cheetahs' failure to be clinical, and now the side will have to fight off criticism from those who claimed a home game against basement boys Highlanders should have been a routine victory.

Last year Cheetahs vowed to improve considerably and recruited well in the off-season in the hope of avoiding another last-place finish, but a home win failed to materialise despite the side pulling the game back to within two points in the second half thanks to a try from Heinrich Brussow.

Many critics have now suggested that the game could prove to be the wooden spoon decider in Super 14, considering Highlanders had not won on the road since May 2008 and Cheetahs have now lost their last five games at Free State Stadium.

In a wider context, Highlanders' victory meant that all five New Zealand teams in the competition registered victories in the third round, a stat which would have been even more impressive if Highlanders had managed to claim a bonus point for scoring four tries, something the other four sides did.

Among them were seven-time Super 14 champions Crusaders, who got their campaign back on track with a dominant 35-6 victory over the Sharks in Christchurch, a scoreline bolstered by 15 points from the excellent Dan Carter, who appears to be fully into his stride in 2010.

Posted by Ben Welch