Saru to find a workable solution for the Cheetahs

IT is somewhat ironic that one day before a South African Rugby Union meeting takes place to discuss the competition structures for next year, the Cheetahs will be fighting for their Currie Cup Premier Division status in 2019 when they face the SWD Eagles in a promotion-relegation match in Bloemfontein tonight.

The Cheetahs finished last in the seven-team Premier Division this season, having not won a game, while the Eagles won the First Division after beating the Valke.

The men from Bloemfontein were robbed of their best players in the Currie Cup because the “first team” played in the PRO14, something Saru want to try and avoid next year.

Cheetahs managing director, Harold Verster, said Saru’s franchise meeting, scheduled for tomorrow, would seek to find a workable solution to the Currie Cup and PRO14 overlapping in future.

“The last two seasons have been tough on us. We need to find an answer to the competitions overlapping … maybe one of them can start earlier in future, or we can have a pool system,” said Verster.

SA’s two newest franchise’s, Griquas and the Pumas, are also set to be included in the PRO14 next year, to become a 16-team competition, but Verster said there was still no finality on the matter.

For now, the Cheetahs will just want to maintain their Premier Division status and to do that they will have to get the better of the Eagles, who won five out of their six games in the First Division this season.

Verster said coach Franco Smith would pick his strongest available team for the match, despite the Cheetahs playing a PRO14 match against the Cardiff Blues last Saturday. They’re also playing again this weekend, against Munster.

“We’ve got a big group of players, who’ve trained together throughout the Currie Cup and PRO14, while the coaches have also worked closely together,” said Verster. “It’s quite a balancing act … with these three games happening over the course of a week.”