Frans Steyn, the Director of Rugby and head coach of the Toyota Cheetahs, said that winning the upcoming clash against the Suzuki Griquas on Friday at 18:00 (SA Time) in Bloemfontein is critical for the union's survival.
Steyn has been vocal about the high stakes, stating that a failure to win and secure a spot in the Currie Cup Premier Division would result in less funding from SARU and could potentially lead to further job losses.
The match against the Griquas is viewed as a "potentially season-defining" derby for the Cheetahs. While the Griquas have already secured a home semi-final, the Cheetahs sit third on the SA Rugby SA Cup and need a minimum of two log points from the final round in order to qualify for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division.
“The ball is in our hands. We must win, and that’s it.”
“It’s a daunting assignment. Griquas have swept all eight matches in the competition and haven’t lost to the Cheetahs in their last seven official encounters, a run that includes one draw.”
“The Griquas are a very good team, and things are going very well with them at the moment. They have had quite a while to build this group.”
“We can’t make mistakes at all, because they have a bunch of lethal players off mistakes. That’s where they’ve really hurt us the last few years. So we have to be at our best.”
“Fortunately, the match is at the graveyard. It’s nice and green now, but come Friday, we’re going to have to turn it into a graveyard,” Steyn said.