The Toyota Cheetahs are excited about the challenge that lies ahead when they tackle the Sharks in Bloemfontein on Sunday in round two of the EPCR Challenge Cup.

The Cheetahs arrived back in Bloemfontein on Monday following their outstanding win against Zebre on the weekend and today they will shift their attention to the Sharks.

It was a good trip up north for the Cheetahs as they returned home with four-points in the bank after winning 33-15.

The match will be the first ECPR Challenge Cup derby, as well as the first-time ever that a match in the competition will be played in Bloemfontein. Last season the Cheetahs had the very same Parma in Italy as their home base. There they played in games against Scarlets of Wales and Section Paloise.

The Sharks themselves impressed with a solid win against Section Paloise in Durban with a resounding 45-5 win.

In addition, the Sharks are expected to field their Springboks such as Ox Nche, Eben Etzebeth, Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi.

The Cheetahs coach, Hawies Fourie, told OFM Sport that they want to be able to measure themselves against the best.

“We’ll have a look at that game between the Sharks and Pau, and see how we can adapt in the game against them,” said Fourie.

“But they’ve beaten Pau by a big margin and they’ve got all their Springboks back so they will be a very tough team to play against on Sunday.

“It is a big challenge for us to play against a team with a lot of Springboks and the quality they have, but that’s why you want to play in a competition like this, is to play against very good teams with big names to measure yourselves.”

Sunday’s match at the Toyota Stadium kicks off at 15:00.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport