Dobson: Cheetahs played with more cohesion

WP went down 17-30 in Bloemfontein in what was their first fixture of the competition after they started the tournament with a bye in Round One.

The Cheetahs, on the other hand, started the competition with a comprehensive win over the Sharks and had a lot of continuity going into their encounter with Province.

"Firstly, with the amount of mistakes we made, it was a stratospheric amount and I think on the field, the way they carried the ball was with a lot more conviction and directness than the way we carried the ball," Dobson told reporters after the match.

"We had a few days to put a team together for this trip and obviously they [Cheetahs] know each other far better. They played with much more cohesion than us."

Cheetahs star Rosko Specman gave Province plenty of headaches during the match. The BlitzBok star scored a sensational try and had a hand in two others in his side's win over the Capetonians.

"The way he carries the ball into contact is exceptional," Dobson added. "We knew him from [his days with] the Pumas and he has improved so much. 

We talked about it [Specman], but you got to execute it on the field. I think he is a really exciting player."

While it was not the best of starts for Province, Dobson is set to put out a much stronger team this weekend for their match against the Pumas at Newlands on Saturday.

"I think we got seven or eight guys coming back, who we had to rest this week. So that would make quite a significant change to our team," Dobson added.

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