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Cheetahs feature a current Springbok in Frans Steyn
- While the decision is out of their hands, the Cheetahs would be delighted if the Springboks don’t play in the Rugby Championship.
- Assistant coach Corniel van Zyl says his troops want to play against the best in the country, in part to shake off the perception that they win national titles in diluted competitions.
- Exposure to top-notch rivals is nothing new for the Cheetahs, who regularly face teams loaded with international players at PRO14.
While they would be relatively outside of Springbok’s demands if the national team departed for the Rugby Championship, the Cheetahs I still have a decent reason to want to stay home.
With the disappointment over the exclusion of the future franchise from local play in PRO Rugby still simmering, the men of Bloemfontein are eager to continue to show just how competitive they remain.
Naturally the best barometer for that is playing in a current Super Rugby Unlocked campaign featuring the best players in the country, but that picture could change dramatically if SA Rugby belatedly decides to send its flagship team to Australia.
Sanzaar on Wednesday gave the local federation 48 hours to clarify the Boks’ involvement.
“We actually talk a lot about (the Springboks presence) on a regular basis,” Cheetahs assistant coach Corniel van Zyl said Wednesday ahead of the team’s Super Rugby Unlocked meeting with the Bulls on Friday.
“Obviously, since a formal decision has not been made yet, we cannot think too much about whether the national players will remain involved or not.
“At the moment, it’s really a nice feeling for players to know that they can compete against the best.”
Much of that sentiment is also based on the perception that the Cheetahs’ recent domestic success, such as the Currie Cup triumphs of 2016 and 2019, has simply been reduced to diluted competition.
Teams:
Cheetahs
15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Malcolm Jaer, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Ruan Pienaar (captain), 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Andisa Ntsila, 5 Walt Steenkamp, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Luan de Bruin, 2 Reinach Venter, 1 Charles Marais
Substitutes: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Erich de Jager, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Aidon Davis, 21 Chris Massyn, 22 Tian Meyer, 23 William Small-Smith
Bulls
15 Gio Aplon, 14 David Kriel, 13 Cornal Hendricks, 12 Clinton Swart, 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jacques van Rooyen.
Substitutes: 16 Joe van Zyl, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Sintu Manjezi, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Chris Smith, 23 Stedman Gans.
“We’ve had these situations after we won the Currie Cup that people ask us how important those victories were if the Springboks were not really involved,” said Van Zyl, a former block who represented Italy in eight rounds and played in the Cup. of the World 2011.
“I figured the best way to change perceptions is to compete against the best. And that’s what we want to do. It’s not that we’re not used to it, in PRO14 we played against various teams that boasted 15, 16 internationals in their squads of matches.
“It’s what the players want. We want to play against Springboks.”
However, the reality is that Cheetahs, and everyone else, will have to be philosophical about it.
“In the end, it’s not a decision we have to make. If the Boks leave, we will have to do our best and if they stay, it will be a big challenge,” Van Zyl said.
The start of the battle in Bloemfontein is at 19:00 on Friday.
