The 36-year-old World Cup winner is in France where he is still contracted to Montpellier, and it is unlikely that the Cheetahs would land such a big fish, especially with the uncertainty over the franchises' future in international rugby.

On Sunday Du Plessis started that the Cheetahs jersey is a special one and he would like to play with his former teammates, Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn, again.

READ: I really love that Cheetahs jersey - Bismarck du Plessis

The Cheetahs centre, William Small-Smith, told OFM Sport that it's good to hear players of Du Plessis' calibre holding the team in such high regard.

“It is nice to hear that from an old Free Stater.

“I think he has just signed a two-year contract extension at Montpellier, so it would probably only be in two years that he can join us if he wants to.

“It just goes to show what the players and ex-players feel about the Free State. It would be great to have him here.

“If he is serious, he must give us a call and we will see what we can make happen.”

The Cheetahs have taken a week off of training before starting with their contact  training session next week ahead of the upcoming Currie Cup.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport