Drotske dreads finishing dead last

Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske said his main goal at present is to not finish last on the combined Super Rugby log and the only way to do that is to beat the Lions on Saturday.

The Cheetahs are set to travel to Johannesburg to face the Lions at Ellis Park where a win would ensure they finish above their South African rivals.

Currently, Rebels are at the bottom of the table on 21 points with Cheetahs just above them on 24 points and then Lions third form bottom on 26 points.

A loss for Cheetahs and win for Rebels in their match against the Bulls on Friday night will see Drotske’s men finishing last on the table, and he will do anything to avoid that.

“If we win we shift past the Lions,” said the Cheetahs coach.

“But we will have to be alert on defence and ensure our set pieces are solid.

“They can take the ball wide and are good in the off-load.”

The Cheetahs come into the game on a high following their 27-20 win over the Sharks last weekend, but Drotske insists that in order for his side to win again they have to continue to take their chances.

“We used our chances well [against the Sharks]. Our tactical kicking was great and our line-outs were great, especially in the second half when we put them under a lot of pressure,” he added.

“We may have conceded too many penalties in the scrums, but in general I am happy with where we are.”