Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will get his wish, but for all the wrong reasons. World Cup-winning flank Juan Smith will not be captaining the Free State Cheetahs in their Currie Cup encounter with the Falcons in Brakpan on Friday.

De Villiers had earlier requested that the Cheetahs rest the Bok flank, Smith, for this week's match.

Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské had initially suggested that he might play the star flank, as his team is desperate to get back on the winning trail after three successive defeats — against Western Province, the Sharks and VBlue Bulls.

However, the knock which Smith took in the second half of the 5-23 loss to the Bulls at the weekend — which saw him leave the field in a neck brace on stretcher — have now ruled him out.

Cheetahs team manager Helgard Muller told this website on Monday that Smith will definitely not play on Friday, as he is suffering from neck spasms and will be in a brace till at least Wednesday.

"Not that we can afford to be without him, but he will not play," Muller said.

Muller said the team will go "all out" this week to play rugby and will not revert to a conservative approach just because they have lost their last three games.

He was at a loss for words to explain why some of the players have suddenly lost their way, with poor option taking the coaching staff's biggest headache.

"It is just something that started to happen in the last few weeks," Muller told this website, adding that even in the more intense arena of Super 14 rugby the players' decision making was more accurate.

But the Cheetahs, despite needing to get two bonus-point victories in their remaining matches against the Falcons and Boland Cavaliers to stay in the play-off hunt, will continue with their free-flowing game.

"We will go there [Brakpan] to play rugby, regardless of our [play-off] situation.

"Yes, the Falcons are a tricky opponents, especially in Brakpan, but we have faith and it is just a matter of execution [of the game plan]," Muller added.

365

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