Rght, where does one start? There are several reasons why Franco Smith’s men are hot favourites to capture the Currie Cup title and it would be a huge surprise if they aren’t crowned champions after the 80 minutes in Bloemfontein.
For starters, the Cheetahs are on home soil and playing in front of their own fans and we all know what a huge difference that makes in one-off games. They’ll feed off their fans who are as desperate as the players are for success after a few lean years, including the recent disappointing showing in Super Rugby.
Furthermore, Smith’s men are a settled bunch who’ve gelled into a formidable unit since getting together a little over a year ago when the present coach took over from Naka Drotske.
They’ve got to know each other and understand one another’s game and they haven’t been disrupted by national call-ups or players leaving to play abroad; they are a tight-knit team who’ve smashed everyone they’ve come up against.
Going into a final on the back of nine straight wins, including last weekend’s semi-final hammering of the defending champions, the Lions, has ensured they’re a confident lot who know how to win.
There are few weaknesses in the make-up of the side picked by Smith; the set-pieces will be solid and with Paul Schoeman and Uzair Cassiem in sensational form in the loose trio you know the home team will be very competitive at the breakdowns and in the collisions.
But what has set the Cheetahs apart this year is their ability to keep the ball alive, to hang onto it for long periods and keep asking questions of the opposition defence. Their backs have been extremely dangerous with ball in hand, almost scoring tries at will, but they’ve added steel to their game in defence, meaning no one can expect to score a few tries against them any more.
Flyhalf Niel Marais has also been spot on with his goal-kicking, so there are no weak points for the Bulls to target. The Cheetahs are on the move and today they’ll bag the title they so richly deserve.
Team: Clayton Blommetjies, Sergeal Petersen, Francois Venter, Nico Lee, Raymond Rhule, Niel Marais, Shaun Venter, Niell Jordaan, Uzair Cassiem, Paul Schoeman, Reniel Hugo, Justin Basson, Johan Coetzee, Torsten van Jaarsveld, Charles Marais
Replacements: Jacques du Toit, Ox Nche, Armandt Koster, Henco Venter, Tian Meyer, Fred Zeilinga, Rayno Benjamin, Conrad van Vuuren
They have been written off and told they stand no chance in stopping the wrecking ball side that is the Free State Cheetahs. But the Blue Bulls have not taken any of the predictions to heart and can defy the odds.
They can do what the Blue Bulls teams of 2002 and 2006 did by winning and drawing the Currie Cup final against the Golden Lions and the Cheetahs, respectively, having gone in as underdogs.
The Bulls scrum has looked more assured by the week, especially this season and in the last five games leading to the final. The scrum has not only been a dominant facet of play where they launch their attacks from but they also use it as a source of milking valuable penalties to collect three points from the boot of flyhalf Tian Schoeman.
Gaining dominance over the Cheetahs will start at scrum time and with strong and competent front-rankers in the starting line-up and on the bench, the Bulls will look to this area to turn the game on its head.
The line-out is another area of the game where the Bulls have been unmatched this season and, with Marvin Orie in top form, the difficulty for an opposition team will be not only in trying to steal Bulls’ possession but in retaining their own.
The loss of RG Snyman will be huge for the Bulls in the line-outs, but Jason Jenkins has shown he is effective at disrupting opposition ball while mastering the art of doing the donkey work in the engine room.
The game could be won or lost at the breakdown, and this is where the Bulls will have the edge through the power of open-side flank Roelof Smit.
Smit is an out-and-out fetcher and his ability to get to the points of breakdown quickly gives him the advantage.
Deny the Cheetahs possession and they can’t play their natural running game.
The hard and direct running of Jannes Kirsten and Arno Botha will be a threat and if they get over the advantage line at will then they will perfectly set up outside backs Jamba Ulengo and Travis Ismaiel to wreak havoc.
The key is for the Bulls’ defence to hold firm when under siege. The Cheetahs will face the ultimate test.
Team: Ulrich Beyers, Travis Ismaiel, Dries Swanepoel, Burger Odendaal, Jamba Ulengo, Tian Schoeman, Rudy Paige, Arno Botha, Jannes Kirsten, Roelof Smit, Marvin Orie, Jason Jenkins, Jacobie Adriaanse, Jaco Visagie, Lizo Gqoboka
Replacements: Bandise Maku, Martin Dreyer, Pierre Schoeman, Nic de Jager, Hanro Liebenberg, Piet van Zyl, Joshua Stander, Bjorn Basson
Saturday Star