Nel scored four tries in the victory and was deservedly named man of the match for his outstanding performance. Remarkably, it was the second time this year that Nel has dotted down four times in a single match – he previously achieved the feat during round two of the SA Cup when the Free State hammered the Leopards 69–0 in Bloemfontein.

Apart from Nel, there were several other standout performances – notably from eighth-man Neels Volschenk, fullback James Verity-Amm, and centre Carel-Jan Coetzee, who were all particularly impressive. The debutant, Sasko Ndlovu, also enjoyed a big game during his very first outing for the Free State.

Neels Volschenk. Photo: Morgan Piek

What made Nel’s four tries even more special and significant is that he scored them when it mattered most – during key moments of a must-win game.

In the Cheetahs’ previous match against the Boland Cavaliers – which they lost 37–35 – Steyn had, in the heat of the moment, left Nel on the bench in a game that went right down to the wire in Wellington.

Chuckling, Steyn admitted to OFM Sport that things do get rather frantic in the coaching box. He confessed that he had indeed forgotten about the halfback – already dubbed as the new "Super Sarel" (Sarel Pretorius) – during the clash against Boland. But he added that for now, Nel is his number one scrumhalf.

“I forgot about him last week – I’ll say it,” the two-time Rugby World Cup winner laughed.

“When things are happening in there, I honestly think we could make a fortune if we streamed what goes on inside the coaching box live! So ja, I did forget about him.

“For me, it’s simple – we need the right players on the park. We need to perform throughout the season, but if we want to win this thing, we’ve got to have the right people out there, aligned with our game plan or whatever we’re trying to do.

Sasko Ndlovu. Photo: Morgan Piek

“So, Smiley will play again next week, and after that, we’ll reassess. It’s his two weeks now – then we might go back to Rewan Kruger, or we might stick with Smiley. He’s playing well – you just can’t leave him out.”

Meanwhile, the Cheetahs travel to Durban this Saturday to take on the Sharks. Although the Cheetahs will go into the game as favourites, they won’t be underestimating the bottom-of-the-log Sharks.

The defending champions have had a nightmare start to their Currie Cup campaign – they were thumped 46–5 by the Lions at Ellis Park in round one, and were then annihilated 64–0 by the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

However, this weekend marks the Sharks’ first home game of the campaign, and with the side licking their wounds, they’re bound to be a dangerous opponent.

Saturday’s clash between the Sharks and Cheetahs at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont, Durban, kicks off at 17:10.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek