It is the Cheetahs first preseason in many years, and they do see it as a vital ingredient to the team’s success.

Last year the Cheetahs weren’t able to win a single game in the Currie Cup and ultimately had to fight for survival by playing a promotion-relegation match against the SWD Eagles.

The Cheetahs coach, Franco Smith, told OFM Sport that the preseason is the foundation of their season.

“We haven’t had a preseason in a long time, and back then we developed a good squad which won 17 Currie Cup games in a row, and didn’t lose a game until the competitions started overlapping.

“We would like to set the record straight and work really hard on what we can do better in order to become a formidable side which will also be competitive enough to compete in the Pro14.

“There are a lot of objectives that need to be achieved

The real positive for the Cheetahs is that their captain, Oupa Mohoje, started training with the team on Monday, while the winger, William Small-Smith, also took part in the full training session.

The duo of Ox Nche and Nico Lee who both received suspensions were also training. Nche’s sanction has been completed, while Lee could be available to play for the Toyota Free State XV if the reach the semi-finals of final of the SuperSport Rugby Challenge.

The Blue Bulls host the Cheetahs on 19 July at Loftus Versfeld in their first match of the Currie Cup.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport