Rhinos dominated the visitors from the first whistle owning the first half, only for Cheetahs to come back into the game towards the end of the second half. Rhinos have not lost a match since the beginning of the season had an upper hand ahead of the game as Cheetahs were still nursing their bruised egos after being beaten by Gaborone Hogs in the first game last weekend. The side accumulated the three points from penalties ending the match without scoring a try. Speaking to SportMonitor, Cheetahs spokesperson, Modesto Madzambi, said he was impressed by the performance of his players despite the loss.
“The majority of the players that were fielded are new in the team as we in a transition period. As you are aware, the bulk of our squad has aged, it is time to replace them. The only experienced player in our backline was Kagiso Molefhi,” he said. Madzambi said playing against Rhinos was expected to be difficult because they recently won the BRU knock out cup and even last year they were in the league final against Hogs. Rhinos head coach, Shakes Katse, said his players played well, outclassed their opponents in all departments, only for Cheetahs to try and come back in the second half.
He said the performance is an indication of what they have been working on in the past three years. “We had many chances, we could have buried Cheetahs with a huge margin, and we missed around four tries by the line. We are trying to find a solution to these challenges of our players failing to convert their chances. I do not know if this is Rhinos weakness because it is not a team that can beat an opponent with a huge margin, even during my playing days. It is a concern that we want to solve,” Katse said.
Other results: Women: Rhinos 19-12 Cheetahs. Shakawe 20-0 Botho Ryders. Reserve league: Under 22: BUAN Rams 17- 15 Rhinos. Men’s 15s: Ryders 28-0 Great North
Rhinos: 29 Cheetahs: 9
