Rugby
Cheetahs ready for cold and wet conditions in Amsterdam─── ILSE SMALBERGER 11:08 Fri, 09 Jan 2026
The Toyota Cheetahs’ preparations for this weekend’s EPCR Challenge Cup match against Ulster are well underway in Amsterdam.
The team arrived in the Netherlands earlier this week and are acclimatising to conditions very different from high summer in Central South Africa. Cheetahs captain, Chucky van der Westhuizen, said they have adapted their training accordingly.
“Over the last two weeks we did prepare for wet conditions, obviously our game plan was also developed around that. It’s definitely cold, but it’s not something we can control. We’ll try to control what we can and play to the best of our ability.”
The Cheetahs are still looking for a win in the competition, losing to both the Exeter Chiefs and Stade Français in round 1 and 2 of the competition, while Ulster thumped Racing92 by 61-7 in their first round, but suffered a narrow 29-26 defeat against Cardiff Rugby in round 2.
The Toyota Cheetahs play this weekend against Ulster. Photo: Facebook
Van der Westhuizen said they are well aware they will have to be on top of their game for the full 80 minutes if they want to come away with a win this weekend. He said it is something the team discussed as part of their preparations for Sunday’s game.
“We’ve got times everything works and then we’ve got lapses where we just lose focus, and that’s where the other team score really easy tries. If you go and check out all the tries, there’s one or two that’s maybe good execution from their side, but then the rest of it is just errors from our side.”
“And these teams are so good in this competition they capitalise on small areas where you lapse or lose concentration.”
Meanwhile, Cheetahs coach Frans Steyn said his team is definitely at a disadvantage having not played in a competition since the beginning of December, but he is not going to use it as an excuse.
“We’ve got an opportunity, a massive opportunity to show what we can do. And we need to be better than the previous two matches. I mean, all the teams we’re playing in this pool, I mean, Exeter is third in the UK, in the Premier League.
“Stade Français is third in the top 14. And then this weekend, Ulster is third in the URC. With the previous two games, I felt we got ourselves into trouble with our own mistakes.”
Sunday’s game against Ulster will be played at the NRCA Stadium in Amsterdam and kick off is at 17:15.
