Cheetahs No 8 Gideon van der Merwe was a top performer in the opening round of the EPCR Challenge Cup.
The Bloemfontein-based outfit may have opened their campaign with a 42-12 defeat to the Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park, but Van der Merwe underlined his pedigree on the European stage.
The 30-year-old made five turnovers, the most by any player across the nine matches played. His work at the breakdown was a rare bright spark for the Cheetahs against a powerful Exeter side led by centre Henry Slade, who topped the round’s points chart with 17.
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Top performers (Round 1)
Points: Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs) – 17
Carries: Alun Lawrence (Cardiff) – 22
Metres: Zac Ward (Ulster) – 139
Defenders beaten: Gibson Popoali’i (Montauban) – 13
Lineouts won: Marvin Okuya (Lyon) – 11
Tackles: Harri Deaves (Ospreys) 27
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Key stats (Round 1)
– Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs) leads all scorers with 17 points (first in round) and six successful goal kicks (second in round).
– Lester Etien (Stade Français) assisted three tries (first in round) and beat six defenders at the weekend (third in round).
– Leonardo Marin (Benetton) scored two tries (first in round) and made four offloads (first in round).
– Gideon van der Merwe (Cheetahs) topped the turnover statistics with five turnovers won (first in round).
– Beka Shvangiradze (Lyon Olympique Universitaire)dominated defensively with 23 successful tackles (2nd in round) and 20 defensive ruck entries (1st in round).
Photo: Bryan Keane/INPHO
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