The opening fortnight of PRO14 has been chastening for SA’s Cheetahs and Southern Kings after two hefty losses each and should serve as a huge wake-up call for both teams. The Cheetahs have conceded 93 points and 14 tries after losing to Ulster and Munster on their short trip to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, while the Southern Kings have fared little better. The Port Elizabeth-based club went down 32-10 to Irish club Connacht on Saturday‚ which followed a 57-10 thrashing by defending champions the Scarlets in round one. It is not just losing that is a worry — especially for the Cheetahs‚ who are on paper much stronger than the Kings — it is the manner of defeat. The Cheetahs conceded six tries against Ulster and eight against Munster on their way to 42-19 and 51-18 defeats. Their scrum disintegrated against Munster. And the home team started three of their second-choice frontrowers. These early skirmishes in PRO14 have highlighted the exceptional quality of rugby up ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.