Reds

Reds v Cheetahs preview

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In this fixture there is more to play for than meets the eye.

Eddie Jones and his Reds team will be fighting hard to restore some kind of dignity to what has been a fairly embarrassing campaign thus far, while the Cheetahs are desperate to end in the top half of the table, and such a goal is easily reachable if they pull off the wins in the final three rounds.

Coach Rassie Erasmus is leaving the franchise for a Bok coaching position, and, as his side currently lies in 11th spot, would be hoping to show improvement by attaining a position higher than 10th, which was a good start for the new Cheetahs franchise.

Both sides perhaps suffer from a severe lack of depth, and that has hampered their efforts this year.

The difference is the Cheetahs have lost games in which they showed they had the potential to be contenders; their smashing of the Brumbies indicative of the heights to which they may go in this competition as they build a strong pool of players.

The Reds, on the other hand, have all too often just given up, showing zero sense of endeavour or hunger to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

Indeed the future is anything but bright for the Brisbane franchise.

Both sides have selected attacking outfits, and it seems both would run each other off their feet.

The difference is the Cheetahs have some venom, structure, and self-belief to boot.

It’s hard to see how the Reds can match the Bloemfontein-side, which has had its own struggles this year, but has shown the willingness to fight – a spirit exemplified by the likes of gutsy leaders like Falie Oelschig and Juan Smith.

Prediction: This Reds side is quite sad to watch, and it’s hard to imagine them spending anything less than a couple of years clawing themselves out of this rut. The Cheetahs should have just too much heart and strength for the home side to combat. Cheetahs to win by 15 or more.

Reds: 15 Clinton Schifcofske, 14 Andrew Walker, 13 Ben Tune, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Peter Hynes, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Nic Berry, 8 John Roe (c), 7 Tom McVerry, 6 Mitch Chapman, 5 James Horwill, 4 Hugh McMeniman, 3 David Te Moana, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Tama Tuirirangi
Replacements: 16 Sean Hardman, 17 Herman Hunt, 18 Ed O’Donoghue, 19 David Croft, 20 Will Genia, 21 Andrew Brown, 22 Brando Va’aulu

Cheetahs: 15 Philip Burger, 14 Eddie Fredericks, 13 Marius Joubert, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Ronnie Cooke, 10 Herkie Kruger, 9 Falie Oelschig, 8 Kabamba Floors, 7 Juan Smith (c), 6 Duane Vermeulen, 5 Rory Duncan, 4 Corniel van Zyl, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Hans van Dyk, 17 Ollie le Roux, 18 Bian Vermaak, 19 Heinrich Brussouw, 20 Ryno van der Merwe, 21 Michael Classens, 22 Tiger Mangweni.

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Chris Pollock (New Zealand), James Scholtens (Australia)
Television match official: Dan Cheever (Australia)
Assessor: Ian Scotney

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