The game, which was set to kick off on Tuesday afternoon, has been cancelled due to thirteen players and the coach testing positive for Covid-19.

Last week several players were unavailable for the derby against the Tafel Lager Griquas and Cheetahs in Kimberley.

The coach, Hawies Fourie, didn’t make the trip to the Northern Cape as he was self-isolating.

The Cheetahs have informed SA Rugby that they are not able to field a team with enough front-row cover in such a short time frame.

Harold Verster, Managing Director of the Free State Cheetahs, says the recent match between the Cheetahs and Griquas also affected Griquas because of contact with a Covid-19 positive Cheetah player.

 “It is sad and regrettable, but something that is out of our hands. We sincerely hope that our neighbouring province will have a full-strength team available on Saturday.”

“The Cheetahs would have loved to play and were ready until late on Monday. In the end, we had no choice but to cancel the match. It was the right and responsible thing to do, especially given the importance of the health of the players and the forthcoming test series between the Springboks and the British and Irish Lions.”

As determined by the competition rules, the Bulls will be awarded four log points because of the cancellation and the result will be noted as 0-0.

This in itself puts the Cheetahs in a difficult position early in the Currie Cup as they effectively have two losses from two games.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport