Currie Cup: Platinum Leopards - Free State Cheetahs (03-09-2011, 16:00 GMT)

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Profert Olën Park, Potchefstroom (03-09-2011, 16:00 GMT)

The Platinum Leopards want to improve in the second round of the Absa Currie Cup after winning just one of their games out of the first seven. They take on the Toyota Free State Cheetahs at Profert Olën Park in Potchefstroom on Saturday afternoon.

Leopards coach Leon Boshoff said a big aim for his team in the coming weeks will be possession and making sure they protect the ball when they have it. This will be paramount against a Free State side that is very dangerous from turn overs.

Last week against the Vodacom Blue Bulls, the Leopards scored three tries in the second half â€" the last one coming after numerous phases where they did not lose the ball.

"Looking back at the first round, it's clear we've not used our scoring opportunities, mainly because we have not protected the ball well enough when it was in our possession. When we keep the ball on attack, we've scored 95% of the time, but we only do that 20% of the time," said Boshoff.

"Considering that we're defending most of the time, I can't really find too much fault with our defence. Now we need to get more possession and look after it better. It won't be easy against the Free State Cheetahs - they lost last week, but have shown what they can do in their match against the Pumas, where they scored 80 points."

Considering that the Cheetahs scored 78 points against the Leopards in Phokeng last year and 71 in Potch in 2009, it’s clear the team from North West have a massive task at hand.

Platinum Leopards vs Toyota Free State Cheetahs
Date: Saturday, 3 September
Kick-off: 16:00
Venue: Profert Olën Park, Potchefstroom
Referee: Stuart Berry
Last three meetings in Absa Currie Cup:
20 August 2010: Toyota FS Cheetahs won 57-0 in Bloemfontein
8 October 2010: Toyota FS Cheetahs won 78-7 in Rustenburg
16 July 2011: Toyota FS Cheetahs won 40-12 in Bloemfontein