Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske does not know what the specific ingredient is in the Cheetah’s o ften winning recipe against the Sharks

Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske does not know what the specific ingredient is in the Cheetah’s often winning recipe against the Sharks, and if he knew he would bottle it and hide it under his mattress.

The Cheetahs have a knack of knocking over the Sharks in important games in Durban – the 2009 Currie Cup semi-final springs to mind, not to mention last year’s very first Super 14 match of the season – and this week Bloemfontein’s finest plan on repeating the dose.

“I can’t put my finger on it but long may it continue,” Drotske said from Bloemfontein yesterday. “I think in general we are more comfortable in playing South African teams but when it comes to the Sharks we have always felt we have a good chance of winning if we do a few obvious things such as stopping their momentum and keeping turnovers to a minimum. But there is nothing speficic I can think of that explains why we often beat the Sharks.

“ It is always a big defensive focus for us when we play the Sharks because if you don’t stop their big ball carriers (such as Willem Alberts, Bismarck du Plessis, John Smit and Jean Deysel), they get their game going and then stopping them gets a whole lot tougher.”

This week the Sharks’ coaching staff will be able to tap into recent former Cheetahs Meyer Bosman and Jacques-Louis Potgieter for in-depth insight into how the Cheetahs plot the Sharks’ downfall.

Bosman, who is likely to be the Sharks’ No 12 on Saturday, was a Cheetah all his life until a few months ago.

“Meyer knows us inside out, of course, but we also know his game in the same way, which could be an advantage for us,” Drotske said. Likewise, Potgieter was a Cheetah in 2008 and 2009, and was Man of the Match when the Sharks lost that Currie Cup semi-final to a last-minute drop goal from the blond flyhalf.

“I think they will play (Patrick) Lambie at flyhalf, though,” said the coach. “He was the best 10 in the Currie Cup and key to how they want to play the game. They were very impressive in the Currie Cup with their ball-in-hand approach, and they will continue with that.”

The Sharks might adapt their tactics a little to the conditions, and so will the Cheetahs.

“When you play in Durban in February and March you know that the humidity is a significant factor. You can’t ignore it,” Drotske said. “The ball is going to be slippery and that can mean turnovers, and the Sharks are always very good at capitalising on turnovers. So, yes, playing the conditions on Saturday is something we have spoken about.”

Drotske said his team is as ready for the match as they could possibly be.

“We started preparing for Super Rugby two weeks after the Currie Cup ended,” he said. “There is not too much more we can do. We are ready.”

by Mike Greenaway www.iol.co.za