Cheetahs rage over Currie Cup Crises

Ex Keo

Cheetahs CEO Harold Verster blames the lengthy 2012 schedule for the team’s struggles in this year’s Currie Cup.

The Free State Cheetahs’ 36-15 loss to WP at Newlands last weekend saw them finish last on the log. It was the four-time champions’ worst domestic campaign in the modern era.

The Bloemfontein union will now face off against First Division champions the EP Kings in promotion-relegation play-offs over the next fortnight.

Verster believes a long, toiling season has been the crux of their Currie Cup woes as the tournament followed the Vodacom Cup and Super Rugby, and ran during the Rugby Championship.

The squad lost 13 players to injury during the domestic competition. These include three Springboks over the last fortnight in flank Heinrich Brussow, flyhalf Johan Goosen and prop Coenie Oosthuizen.

‘Any team with that kind of injury crisis would struggle in the Currie Cup,’ an angered Verster told keo.co.za. ‘The year has too many fixtures, and it’s the cause for all these injuries. The season structure needs a relook. (Hoor Hoor)

‘Even the Wallabies are struggling on the Test scene as many of their top players are injured. It’s a general and clear belief that the season is too long. 9Central contracting - we are making the these mediocre bs look good - at times - reme,mber Dunedin!!!!!!)

‘But we’ll head into the promotion-relegation play-offs with no excuses. The Kings have been very impressive in the First Division and will be a challenge, but we’ll need to stand up and show our worth over the next two weeks.’

While Premier Division teams have generally dominated promotion-relegation play-offs against First Division unions in recent years, the Kings will fancy their chances against a weakened Cheetahs outfit.

The Kings have been in good form as they enjoyed an unbeaten run to the First Division title.

The Eastern Cape franchise will also threaten the Cheetahs’ Super Rugby status next season. Those two teams are most likely to finish last in the South African conference.

The local franchise that suffers the wooden spoon will face off against the Lions in promotion-relegation play-offs for the 2014 Super Rugby campaign.

However, Verster believes Super Rugby will be a different battle.

‘We will be in a better position to be competitive,’ he said. ‘We should have all our players back from injury. We should have the likes of Heinrich, Coenie and Johan all fully fit and featuring for us from the opening rounds (not to mention a number of Griguas players as well - griguas ar not a bad side at all)

So if by some chance the Lions won the Currie cup we would have the Currie Cup cjampions not playing super rugby and we could have a Super Rugby side the Cheetahs not playing Currie Cup!!!

Go Cheetahs send the ep queens packing.  What a pity you will not be at full strength.  Why not also make the queens play a relegation match with the Lions. If they won that they would hav e earned a shot. Would take a lot of the sting and bitterness out of the situation. Lions should beat them by about 30 points?

Ou Harold is back to his old pissing self again. The Cheetahs is not the only one who had injuries this season. The Lions was, at one stage probably the worst hit by injuries. As far as their CC campaign goes, the Bulls, WP and Sharks were more on the shit-end of the stick, than the Cheetahs, with their players away on national duty.

He would have had no issue with the season if it wasn't the Cheetahs who were involved in the promotion/relegation games.

All along I have said that whoever ends last should be relegated from Super Rugby for the following year.

Look, i really hope that they smash the Kings to pieces! I really do!

It will be really funny having a team in Super Rugby that can't even make it into the CC Premier Division.

God our rugby structures are falling to pieces!

One wonders what these admin guys are smoking. Daft as hatters. 

 hey guys I am going to sound a bit controversial here not the intention however i would like to highlight something interesting.

If EP can beat the cheetahs in the promotion relegation games, would it not then be a positive indication as to the depth of south african rugby?

would it also then not be a good thing with regards to the competitiveness of the domestic game?

I don't want to sound as if i am showing hate towards the cheetahs, but i do want to highlight the possible positive offspin of such an eventuality. 

I sill see it as a good thing not a bad thing. Strange how perceptions may vary though.

As too old Harold complaining, not really valid as someone above pointed out there were other teams that were struck far more heavily with regards to player availability.

Ek I think thye ar ecomplaining about not being at full strength against the queens as well. As was noted in the article the queens will fancy themselves against a WEAKENED Cheetahs team. Also how muvch government funds hav egone to the queens? The Cheetahs main problem over the years has been the departutre of top talent.

If the Cheetahs ever depart from Super Rugby it will be a hug blow to SA rugby firstly because an incredible nusery for talent will be damaged and aslo because Griguas will also suffer. The Cheetah Griquas combo to me is a lot more powerful than anything the queens can offer.

But intrinsically its all about not earning your right.  At least with the Currie Cup there is a relegation match and regardless about all the injured Cheetahs players. The same should have happened re the Super comp.

 As i said Beeno, i am not attempting to sound controversial, however i want to see this in a purely rugby perspective, not a political or one sided view as we so easily do. And don't mistake me I see the political issues and the backroom grapple, however after that is done, what are the positive spin offs going to be. No one is above it. And if it so happens that next year the cheetahs have to play a promotion relegation game against the Lions instead of the Kings, then so be it. Everyone has been forewarned and should prepare appropriately. Any decent project planner will tell you the same. Take the eventualities, plan accordingly and hope for it to succeed, sometimes things won't go your way, then adjust and make the best of it. 

It will be sad to see the cheetahs leave, but it will also be refreshing to see another face in the competition.

But this is just forboding, who says the cheetahs will lose to the Kings. 

I just want to point out that too many of us are making this too much of a thing, in the end it will work itself out.

The positive spin off could be that it will focus the Lions and Cheetahs to improve!!!  But lets no thave un level playing fields like SAA getting hevily subsidised a tthe taxpayers expence and other local airlines getting nothing.

 Beeno, what is done is done, what use will it be to cry over spoilt milk? You have to mop it up and go on. Maybe it's personality thing, but i don't see the point in complaing about a kid that stole my toy two weeks ago, what use is it?