Steyn tells Griquas the Cheetahs are hungry for tries

Cheetahs coach Frans Steyn wants Griquas to prepare for an all-out attack in Kimberley on Saturday when the teams clash in the SA Cup semi-final.

The Cheetahs conceded two late tries to lose to the same opponents at the same venue last week as the league phase of the competition came to a conclusion. The Free Staters had led for most of the game but couldn’t close it out, raising concerns about their ability to maintain intensity across 80 minutes.

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“I don’t think we are going to be going for goal on Saturday,” Steyn said in a press conference on Tuesday. “We will go for tries. In my opinion, it doesn’t help us to go for goal if it’s only going to put us a few points ahead.”

It remains to be seen whether Steyn is indulging in a bit of gamesmanship, but the Cheetahs coach held nothing back in discussing the team’s appetite for tries.

“We saw last week what Griquas can do. We need to be ahead by 40 points to be safe,” he said.

The Cheetahs overcame a rocky start to their SA Cup campaign, losing to Boland and Pumas in two of their first three matches. They bounced back strongly, building a potent attacking game that peaked in a 106–7 demolition of the Border Bulldogs in round 8. The loss to Griquas was their first defeat since round three.

“The week is too short to fix all the things that haven’t gone well,” Steyn added. “The key is to focus on what you have done well and improve on that. Building on that is going to take us further that trying to fix things at this stage of the season.

“What the guys here have achieved in a short amount of time is amazing. The way they train, play and conduct themselves on and off the field is a massive improvement. I don’t care if we play at home or away and the players don’t care either.”

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Defending SA Cup champions, Griquas have been a formidable force this season, suffering just one loss during the league phase, to the table-topping Pumas in Nelspruit.

“I’m not going to say what our plans are,” said Steyn. “But we have an idea on where to attack Griquas and the guys are really excited to take them on.”

The Pumas, Griquas, Cheetahs and Boland Kavaliers join the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Western Province in the Currie Cup, which kicks off in July.

Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images