Stormers wary of injured Cheetahs

28 May 2015 - 02:04 By Craig Ray

If the Super Rugby standings are anything to go by, the Stormers should comfortably beat the Cheetahs at Newlands this weekend and take another step closer to the semifinals. But league standings, South African derbies and foregone conclusions have nothing in common.The Stormers are nine places and 18 league points better off than the Cheetahs, but even so, there is a cautious air around Newlands.Earlier this month, the Stormers arrived in Bloemfontein to play against what could only be called a makeshift Cheetahs team, and limped away after losing 25-17.Since then the Cheetahs have been through internal turmoil, with coach Naka Drotske announcing that he would step down after the weekend. He has been at the helm for nearly nine years.The Cheetahs have also lost heavily to the Highlanders and the Lions since beating the Stormers, and it looks like they have imploded completely.But the Stormers aren't taking anything for granted, especially as the players might find something extra as a farewell to Drotske and assistant coach Os du Randt."The emotional stuff will always come into play, but for us it's about remaining focused on what we have to do to get the job done," coach Allister Coetzee said.Backline coach Robbie Fleck suspects the Cheetahs might find some extra motivation because of their desire always to beat the Stormers."There might be some emotion from their side going into the game," Fleck said. "But our focus is to stay calm and execute our plans properly."We have to make a big improvement from our performance in Bloemfontein. It's difficult to comment on what's going on inside the Cheetahs camp but there was a similar sentiment when we went to Bloemfontein a few weeks ago, and look how that turned out."The Cheetahs are always dangerous no matter who they put on the park."..

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