Boland enjoyed the upper hand last season, beating the Cheetahs in both the SA Cup and the Currie Cup, but they know they will be facing a far sterner challenge this time around. Adding to the task is the venue, with the clash set to take place in Bloemfontein after last year’s meeting was played in Wellington.

Rain is forecast for the game, which could favour the Free Staters. The Cheetahs have been training on heavier fields and recently fine-tuned their game in European conditions while competing in the EPCR Challenge Cup.

Hawies Fourie. Photo: Morgan Piek

The Cavaliers, however, have an ace up their sleeve. Their coaching staff includes several former Cheetahs figures, with head coach Hawies Fourie joined by assistant coach Charl Strydom and strength and conditioning coach Carl Bester. 

In addition, Pote Human – a legendary figure in Free State rugby and a former captain of the union – is also part of the setup. Fourie told OFM Sport that while Wellington’s fields do become heavy later in the season, the conditions at this time of the year are very different.

“It’s true that the field in Wellington can get quite heavy, especially in winter when there’s a lot of rain. But from the start of September up to now, we haven’t had much rain, apart from a bit this week, so the field has been quite hard and firm,” said Fourie.

“It might take some time for us to adapt, but we’ve prepared as well as we can. I always keep an eye on the weather forecast about a week in advance, and it’s stayed the same with rain predicted for Friday.”

While Boland upset the apple cart in 2025 by qualifying for the Currie Cup Premier Division, Fourie stressed the importance of continuing to evolve as teams become more familiar with their style of play. “It’s important to keep growing and moving forward because you can’t keep doing the same things over and over – teams analyse you and know what’s coming,” he added.

“We had a good season last year, but I told the players early in January that 2025 is behind us and we must focus on 2026. Everyone starts from scratch again. Even the Griquas, who won the Currie Cup, still have to qualify through the SA Cup.

Charl Strydom. Photo: Morgan Piek

“For us, it’s important to get a good start, even though playing in Bloemfontein is a tough challenge. We need to improve away from home – we won all three of our home games in the Currie Cup and beat the Pumas away, but we lost the other away matches.

“Mentally, that’s the big difference, because travel and those factors play a role, but if we prepare well and stay focused, we can deliver the same quality of rugby.”

The Currie Cup-winning former Free State coach added they are under no illusions about the challenge awaiting them against the Cheetahs. He expects the same intensity the Free Staters displayed earlier this year against Racing 92 in Paris.

Cheetahs v. Boland in Bloemfontein in 2024. Photo: Morgan Piek

“The Cheetahs played very well in their last EPCR game against Racing. They only lost in the final minute and showed lekker intensity and execution, so I expect them to be at that level again.

“They’ll definitely raise their game against us because we beat them twice last year, and I’m sure they didn’t enjoy that. There’s a strong rivalry between the teams, but we all know each other well, and there’s plenty of friendship off the field.

“Both sides are looking forward to it, and it should be a great spectacle. The Cheetahs have also benefited from playing those tough EPCR matches, so we’ll have to lift our game to reach that standard.”

Friday night’s clash between the Cheetahs and the Boland Cavaliers at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein kicks off at 18:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek sm