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The Cheetahs unleash forward Aidon Davis in action during the PRO14 match against the Dragons at Rodney Parade in Newport, Wales, on February 29, 2020.
Chris Fairweather / Gallo Images
With rumors circulating that four South African franchises could join an expanded version of the PRO14 tournament, several disgruntled former Cheetahs players have written an open letter to SA Rugby.
According to Rapport, the letter requires that the Cheetahs The franchise will remain part of the PRO14 competition if the rumored scenario takes hold.
Members of the 1976 Cheetahs Currie Cup winning team, who beat Western Province 36-13 in the final, are behind the letter, started by Ross van Reenen, a long-time lock for the team.
Van Reenen believes that the Cheetahs should be the first proposed name for an expanded PRO14 tournament and the other three franchises can be decided.
“Otherwise, the Currie Cup must determine who the four best teams in the country are,” Van Reenen says in the letter.
“Or are the other franchises scared of the Cheetahs?”
Van Reenen continued to defend the 2019 Currie Cup champions.
“Do we understand this correctly? The team that has gained fame for 125 years for playing attractive rugby and the union that is surely the greatest breeding ground in South African rugby will be shown the middle finger for the umpteenth time,” said Van Reenen. . referring to 2017 when the Cheetahs were eliminated from Super Rugby.
“After the Super Rugby fiasco a few years ago when the Cheetahs were shown the door, the team had to find its own way and had to fight for the opportunity to play in PRO14.
“Now they want to take that away too?” Van Reenen asked.
The Cheetahs will be back in action in October when local rugby kicks off once again.
– Compiled by Sport24 staff
