The reality is simple - the Cheetahs must finally snap their winless run against their neighbours. That drought stretches back to 27 May 2023, when the two sides played to a 29-29 draw in Bloemfontein.

Their last victory came earlier that year in March - a match that also marked Frans Steyn’s final appearance as a player. He limped off with injury during the 42-19 win in Kimberley and, a few months later, was forced into retirement after failing to recover.

Since then, it’s been a lean spell against the reigning Currie Cup champions. To be fair to the Free Staters, four of their six consecutive defeats to the Peacock Blues came in 2025 - a season heavily disrupted by injuries, with as many as 20 players unavailable at times.

But context won’t count for much this week - for the Cheetahs, it’s now or never.

They head into the clash knowing they have everything to gain - and even more to lose. A win will secure their place in the semi-finals and see the Currie Cup dream continue. A draw, provided it comes with a four-try bonus point, will also be enough. Anything less, however, will see them miss out on the competition that has long been the heartbeat of rugby in the Free State.

Speaking to OFM Sport, Steyn admitted the stakes are high but urged his players to trust themselves and focus on what they can control.

Neels Volschenk - Morgan Piek

“There’s a lot to play for. At the moment, we’re just focusing on what we can do on the pitch and the controllables,” said the former Springbok.

“There’s a good vibe and hopefully, on the weekend, we can play to our potential.”

There could be a timely boost for the hosts, with centres Zander du Plessis and Munier Hartzenberg both in training after injury. However, Steyn made it clear no risks will be taken ahead of such a crucial run of fixtures.

“Going up against Griquas is going to be tough. We need to win, but we also need to think about what’s ahead.

Jandré Nel - Morgan Piek

“If we qualify, there’s the Toyota Challenge after that… but we need to look after our players as well. We don’t want to risk Zander with his Achilles - we’ll make a call later in the week.”

Steyn added that the squad understands the gravity of the situation and is ready to throw everything at the challenge.

“Everybody was hurting after the Valke loss - we knew the situation we’d put ourselves in,” he said.

“I’m happy with last week’s result, but there’s still a lot we need to improve on. There were some good tries, but also errors we must fix.

Ethan Wentzel - Morgan Piek

“There aren’t many scenarios - there’s one: we need to win. We put ourselves here and we need to get out of it.

“The team is tight, we want to fix it, and I’m looking forward to Friday.”

Friday’s high-stakes SA Cup derby between the Cheetahs and Griquas at Toyota Stadium kicks off at 18:00.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport