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Cheetahs target top spot in Euro pool as they head to Amsterdam
After two wins the Cheetahs are in the pound seats ahead of this weekend’s game and their final pool match against Oyannax.
Cheetahs wing Cohen Jasper celebrates after crossing the try line during their Challenge Cup match against the Sharks in Bloemfontein last year. Picture: Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images
The Cheetahs are targeting finishing on top of their pool in the European Challenge Cup as they prepare to take on French side Section Paloise (Pau) in their ‘home’ match in Amsterdam on Sunday afternoon.
As part of their agreement to take part in the Challenge Cup as an invitational team the Cheetahs play all of their home games against European sides in Europe, which is why they take on Pau in Amsterdam.
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The Cheetahs are no strangers to Pau, having played them twice in the competition last season when they beat them 21-16 in France and then edged them 9-6 in a breathless ‘home’ game in Parma, Italy which was their base at the time.
They head into Sunday’s game in terrific form as they sit top of pool one thanks to two impressive wins, 33-15 over Zebre in Parma, and a superb 32-29 win over the Sharks in Bloemfontein.
Pound seats
This has put them in the pound seats ahead of this weekend’s game and their final pool match against Oyannax in France next weekend and they will want to continue the solid momentum they have been building in the competition.
“I feel we still need a few log points to be sure of (making it into) the round of 16. But as a team we have decided that we want to finish on top of the log and not just qualify for the knockouts,” said coach Hawies Fourie at a press conference on Monday.
“We said from the start that we want to improve on last year’s performance and if we can finish top of the log we can definitely get a bit of an easier draw in the round of 16 which will help.
“So that is some extra motivation for us to play well in the next two weeks and make sure that we continue where we left off. We’ve given ourselves a good chance with the wins against Zebre and the Sharks and now we have to continue and finish the job.”
Last season in their first appearance in the competition the Cheetahs were able to qualify for the last 16 thanks to their wins over Pau, but edged in as the final qualifying team in pool B.
This set them up in a knockout clash against pool A table toppers and French giants Toulon, who they lost to 35-21 after a spirited performance in France, and they will hope to avoid that same fate this time round.
