It’s a must-win game for the Cheetahs, against a team that will field a side featuring several United Rugby Championship players, with Nieuwoudt expected to make his impact off the bench.

The 23-year-old joined the Cheetahs from the Bulls earlier this year but originally hails from the Free State. The former Grey College star will cover loosehead prop for Cameron Dawson, but he’s also capable of packing down at tighthead if needed.

Tielman Niewoudt (left) in action against the Cheetahs in 2022. Photo: Morgan Piek

The Cheetahs will be targeting a full 80-minute performance in a match where they need maximum points to book their place in the semi-finals. While the pressure is on, the side views it as part and parcel of knockout rugby and will approach the game as if it were a quarter-final.

Last week, the Cheetahs slumped to a 40–10 defeat at home to the Suzuki Griquas, a result that left them with little margin for error. Despite that setback, the Free State outfit remains in a fairly strong position heading into the weekend.

Cheetahs coach, Frans Steyn, told OFM Sport that they owe their supporters a proper performance.

“I think we must control what we can, and that’s pitching up on Saturday,” said Steyn.

“Hopefully, we can do that and put in a good performance. We haven’t managed a full 80 minutes in a while. You heard what Pieter Bergh said after the Griquas played against us. It feels like we owe our supporters, and everyone, a proper performance.”

The first 20 minutes against the Griquas proved costly for the Cheetahs, and they’ll be aiming for a stronger start to avoid a repeat. But Steyn believes his side has the resilience to fight back if needed.

“For me, even if we go 21 points down in the first 20 minutes, I think the team is good enough to come back from that. The belief we must have is that, if we’re in that situation, we can overcome it. Hopefully, we don’t end up there again.”

Steyn added that, had they already secured a semi-final spot with a win over the Peacock Blues last week, he might have rotated the squad for the Pretoria clash.

“Look, if we had qualified, I think we might have gone a different route with some of the players, just to give the guys who’ve played a lot some time to freshen up for playoff rugby. We’re not in that boat at the moment, so we still need to go and do a job.

“Preparation-wise, I don’t think it changes anything – we want to go out there, enjoy ourselves, and express ourselves.”

Saturday’s clash at Loftus Versfeld kicks off at 19:05.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs