The Cheetahs are facing the possibility of being booted out of the competition in order to make way for the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers who will ditch the Super Rugby to head up north.

While Stofberg played more rugby for the then Northern Transvaal and Western Province than he did for the Free State, he told OFM the axing of the Cheetahs will be a sad day for world rugby.

“You can understand the reasoning behind leaving the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings out of this competition to make space for the Super Rugby teams.

“There are so many players with such good potential and the ground where they all come from.

“There are so many players that have come from the Free State and to not allow them to get exposure in the PRO14 will be a sad day in not only South African rugby, but in world rugby as well.

“They must find a way to include these players and give the young players something to play for.

“Even from a political side, it will also be a sad day if they exclude Eastern Province or the Kings. 

“There will be so many players that will not have the opportunity to go all the way and get international exposure.”

Of the two South African teams playing up north, the Cheetahs have been the better of the two by far. During the 2017/18 campaign, they qualified for the play-offs, while during the 2019/20 season they were well on their way to reaching the knockout rounds again. Of the Cheetahs' eight remaining games in the current campaign, six would have been contested at home.

SA Rugby is set to meet on Thursday or Friday to discuss the way forward.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport