ROB DAVIES, Cape Town | Friday 2.00pm.
THE Cats will face up to the Auckland Blues at Ellis Park on Friday night looking for a maximum haul to steer them closer to a play-off spot as the Super 12 enters its final two rounds.
After a disastrous tour of the Antipodes, the Cats have managed to win three matches on the trot against some pretty good opposition and Friday’s match against the Blues should be a thriller.
Rassie Erasmus, thought to be unavailable for the match due to a calf injury, has been cleared to play, giving the Cats the opportunity to field their potent back-three combination of Erasmus, Andre Vos and Springbok hardman Andre Venter intact.
Currently slotted in third position on the log, the Blues will be a tough proposition. They are not the side they were a couple of seasons back, but when they are on song are still able to turn up the heat and wipe the floor with just about any side in the competition.
Last week they beat a lacklustre Sharks side 30-19 in Durban and on Friday night will be running at the Cats in top gear. The Blues, like the Cats, desperately want a five-point haul to see them safely into the semis.
Carlos Spencer, up against Louis Koen at flyhalf, will probably hold the key for the Blues. Spencer is strong, a fast thinker and not one to skimp on the physical aspects of the game. He may be one of those players who has been around for as long as one can remember, but he is a class-act through and through.
Robin Brooke, Andrew Blowers and Joeli Vidiri are three more players who demand respect, and to underestimate them is to court disaster.
It is at fullback, however, where the greatest battle is likely to occur, with Thinus Delport facing up to Adrian Cashmore.
Cashmore is a complete fullback — strong, fast, good under anything high and solid in defence, while Delport has again started to show promise after being chosen for the Springboks in 1997 and then subsequently losing form badly.
Delport was stunning in the 36-32 win against the Reds last week — his try ensuring that the Cats stayed in the race for the play-offs.
The Cats must look at minimising their mistakes on Friday.
Against the Reds they gave away too many kickable penalties and in the process saw the match slip away from them until Delport came through.
If the Cats can keep Spencer and Cashmore tucked up, keep Vidiri under pressure with close marking and a high-ball or two they stand a good chance of winning. The key to victory being the quality of ball and the amount of space and time that Spencer has available to work his magic with.