Vermeulen back for Cheetahs?
Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:32
Hard to stop: Duanne Vermeulen on the charge
The Free State Cheetahs could have star flank Duanne Vermeulen back in action when they take on the high-flying Falcons in Absa Currie Cup action next weekend.
According to Hannes Nienaber, Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské told the media after Saturday's 31-9 win over the Sharks that Vermeulen would possibly be considered for selection again.
Vermeulen, a star during the 2008 Super 14, has been out of action since May with a neck injury. His return could not have come at a better time, with Cheetahs captain Hendro Scholtz picking up a shoulder injury against the Sharks. (More will be known about Scholtz's injury this week.)
The Falcons will be on a high after their 38-32 win over Western Province on Friday night, but the Cheetahs will have the advantage of playing at home, whilst Vermeulen's possible return would also be a massive boost to the defending champions.
Drotské, meanwhile, revealed the secret behind his team's superb line-out performance against the Sharks, saying: "With the ELVs, we had to pick two 'number five' locks (Barend Pieterse and David de Villiers)."
Looking back at the match, a satisfied Cheetahs coach added: "It's always great to score four tries against one of the 'bigger' teams in the Absa Currie Cup. We missed a few chances in the first half, but I'll take that result!"
He continued: "We like to keep things tight in the first half and then cut loose a bit in the second half. In Cape Town and Pretoria (in the past two weeks) the rain prevented us from doing so, but the weather played ball today.
"I was happy with our defence and I think young Robert Ebersohn did very well in his first start."
