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Drotské blasts wet Wellington

Monday 04th August 2008

Mud bath: Boland full-back Justin Peach in a sticky situation

Free State Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské has pointed an accusing finger at the conditions Boland Stadium, suggesting that Currie Cup rugby games should be moved to Paarl when the surface in Wellington becomes too wet.

Drotské's side, the defending Currie Cup champions, struggled to a 15-10 away victory against the Boland Kavaliers on Saturday in a game hampered by the muddy conditions at Boland Stadium.

The Free State coaching staff believe that the surface at the Kavaliers' venue in Wellington was unfit for first-class rugby and have called on the South African Rugby Union to address the issue

Saturday's fixture was not the first to have been marred by a muddy surface after heavy rain. Drotské believes the soaked field took all chances of a spectacle out of the game.

"I believe SARU could declare the ground unfit if it has been raining so hard and maybe switch games to Paarl," Drotské told the Cheetahs website.

"We don't mind playing at a wet Loftus Versfeld or Newlands because there one can at least run the ball. But when Wellington is wet, one's feet sink into the mud, making it impossible to run."

Apart from making it hard to earn a bonus point by scoring four tries, the muddy conditions don't make for pleasant viewing for the paying public.

"The spectators are the ones who suffer," said Drotské.

"That's why only 100 people turn up there to watch. I'll also not go watch a match played in those conditions."

The Cheetahs line-out has come in for praise for saving the day for the champions on Saturday, but Drotské said he wasn't going to linger on the merits or demerits of his team's performance in such conditions.

"It's rather hard to tell where we were good or bad," he commented.

"We just tried to drive and kick all the time. Our tactical kicking may not have been good but under those conditions one cannot blame the players.

"We'll just take the four log points and put the match behind us."