The Cheetahs exit the international wilderness in December when they compete in the European Challenge Cup, where initially they will get to face Section Paloise of France and Scarlets of Wales in ‘home’ and away matches. The Cheetahs will be based in Parma, Italy for the tournament and this is also where their home games will be played.

One of the biggest focus areas for the Cheetahs will be playing in the wet weather and conditions that will be expected as winter approaches Europe. The team reported for training last week Monday after a short week long break, and their strategy in the conditions has taken centre stage.

The Cheetahs coach, Hawies Fourie, told OFM Sport that being able to train in the rain has been a blessing for the team.

“We've spent a lot of time since last Monday since we started with our training again after the break from the Toyota Challenge on our wet weather game and home to play effective rugby in the northern hemisphere’s conditions.

“Luckily it rained on Monday for most of the training session and the players got a taste of how slippery the ball will be and how difficult it is to handle the ball and make passes and stuff. It's a blessing in disguise that we got the opportunity to train in the rain. On Tuesday we got to do that again and that helps a lot for our preparations for the two games in December when we get to play against Scarlets and Pau.”

The Cheetahs will face Section Paloise in a month from now in Pau, which is their first game back in European Rugby.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport