The Currie Cup champions assembled some two weeks ago after a month-long break.

Only a handful of players left the Cheetahs at the end of the previous season, while some new faces such as the flyhalf Abner van Reenen and scrumhalf Ruben de Haas joined the team.

The Cheetahs forwards coach, Izak van der Westhuizen, said it helps a lot having continuity in their squad.

Sound Clip – Izak van der Westhuizen 8 8 2023.mp3

“Retaining a big part of the group makes a massive difference in your preparation,” said Van der Westhuizen.

“It allows things to carry on a lot quicker than normal as there is a lot less explanation and you can drive the tempo a bit more.

“We're very happy with keeping a lot of the players here in the Free State and we are looking forward to the competition against the Force.”

The Cheetahs are set to face the Force twice in Bloemfontein and twice in Perth from the end of the month.

The fixtures will be confirmed in due course as there are still a few minor details to iron out. In Perth the venues for the games still need to finalised as the NIB Stadium is currently being used for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

As it stands, the first two games at the Toyota Stadium will be played on Friday, 25 August and Saturday, 2 September.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport