OPINION: New CEO and coaches, but what does the future hold for the Cheetahs?

You’ve just got to feel for the Cheetahs and their fans.

While the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers are busy facing off in a string of URC derby matches across South Africa, the Cheetahs are at home in Bloemfontein, preparing for the little-known SA Cup, a warm-up competition for the Currie Cup.

They’re no longer involved in the Europe-based Challenge Cup competition so only really have the Currie Cup to look forward to, and that only starts in July.

All the while, fans of the so-called big four teams are being treated to a bunch of local derbies as the United Rugby Championship thunders ahead.

New leadership

It leaves one asking, still, what does the future hold for the Cheetahs?

They recently named former player and coach Rory Duncan as their CEO, while late last week former Grey College pupils and Springbok legends, Frans Steyn and Ruan Pienaar, were appointed head coach and backline boss respectively.

What though have these men to aim for? Is it the Currie Cup, which is not the competition it once was, or is it the Challenge Cup, though they’ve only featured there on invitation … or do they have bigger plans?

There have been rumours of the Cheetahs joining Super Rugby in future, while other international competitions have also been mentioned in the past, but there is still no hint of where, or even if, they will play, in a competition of real substance, something like the URC.

Any Boks left in Bloem?

It is a sad state of affairs still that the Cheetahs find themselves where they do – nowhere in the SA rugby picture.

And if something doesn’t change soon, they’re going to be left with very little to offer any rising stars of the future.

The Cheetahs have for years produced some of this country’s best players, their rugby style and attitude have always won fans over, and in the last 20 to 30 years have been really competitive too against this country’s biggest and richest unions.

Are SA Rugby really okay with the fact the Cheetahs just continue surviving in Bloemfontein?

Also, I wonder when we’ll see our next Springbok player get picked from the Cheetahs, or are those days now over?