Cheetahs aim to conquer NZ

Epic battle preparation … The Cheetahs’ versatile player Ashley Johnson will be pivotal in the attack against the Crusaders tomorrow during the Super 15 clash.

After defeating the Rebels in spectacular fashion this past Sunday, the Free State Toyota Cheetahs will now head to New Zealand with renewed hope of defeating the Crusaders and the Hurricanes in their next two overseas tour fixtures.

The Cheetahs ended their Australian leg of their overseas 2012 Super Rugby tour on a high note with a narrow victory against the Rebels in Melbourne. This was the Cheetahs’ first win of the current Super Rugby season.

The Cheetahs performance was phenomenal despite the constant scoring retaliation from the Rebels. They handled the ball well and they strung good passes throughout the match.

In spite of this good display, the Cheetahs almost shared the spoils with the Australian outfit in the dying minutes of the match as they found themselves locked on 26-all in the 89th minute.

They had to tenaciously soldier themselves to victory after being pinned in their own half in the final minute, and had to summon up an attack to score a spectacular try in the last seconds of the match through their replacement scrumhalf Piet van Zyl.

This was the Rebels’ third consecutive defeat of the competition, as they lost their two previous encounters against the Reds and Waratahs respectively. They are yet to register a win in the competition.

The reinvigorated Cheetahs outfit will now face New Zealand’s Crusaders in Christchurch tomorrow morning at 08:35. The Free State team will be expecting a tough clash as both teams seek to add more victories to their competition tally.

The Crusaders lost their last two domestic Super Rugby fixtures against the Chiefs and Highlanders and will be looking to overturn their losing streak against the Free State side.

After the Crusaders clash, the Cheetahs will make their way to Wellington, New Zealand to take on the Hurricanes at Westpac Stadium.