[3], In mid April 2005, the South African Rugby Union announced that the Central Unions franchise would be its fifth team for the expanded Super 14 competition that would begin in 2006. His regular playing position was fly-half or centre. With the future of the Free State side hanging in the balance, D-Day has arrived for the Cheetahs, who have been thrown at the mercy of the role players in SA Rugby. The Cheetahs have won the Currie Cup multiple times in 1976, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2016. After the NZRU announced the resting of 22 leading players, Pat Wilson, Australian High Performance Manager, revealed that leading Wallabies would only be rested for one match, which was to be chosen by their state's union. The Bulls were not worried about the "House of Pain" moniker of Carisbrook – instead they turned in on the Highlanders to win 22–13. The last game of the weekend promised to be a huge one for the Bulls, who were chasing a semi final spot. [citation needed]. They came up against a feeble Reds team, who after going ahead 3–0 in the beginning, had no idea of the onslaught they were going to receive. Use this App together with the Cheetahs online ticketing system to always have your tickets with you. The Crusaders began to show their regular form with a win against the Bulls and the Waratahs season slumped to a new low with a home loss at the hands of the Stormers. The 22 players named were: Jerry Collins, Jason Eaton, Carl Hayman, Andrew Hore, Chris Jack, Richie McCaw, Chris Masoe, Keven Mealamu, Anton Oliver, Greg Somerville, Rodney So'oialo, Reuben Thorne, Ali Williams, Tony Woodcock, Dan Carter, Byron Kelleher, Leon MacDonald, Aaron Mauger, Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Piri Weepu. Western Province beat Western Transvaal 71-9. [7] With the settlement, the season's Super 14 line-up was set, with the Lions taking up the final South African place. Petrus Francois Smith (born 29 July 1972 in Lichtenburg, South Africa) is a South African former rugby union player and current Head Coach of Italy. The Cheetahs squad for the Preparation Series is:[4][5]. Week 6 saw the Reds travel to the "House of Pain" to play the Highlanders. The match had four tries – two by each team, and the last of which was scored by Bulls' wing Bryan Habana in the 82nd minute to give his team the trophy. Later, the Brumbies kept their semi final hopes alive by defeating the tired and weary Highlanders 29–10. The force continued their up and down season by comfortably beating the cheetahs. All Blacks coach Graham Henry made clear his wish for up to 30 of New Zealand's best players to miss around half of the Super 14, with the five New Zealand franchises supporting him in May 2006. So when the 19-year-old took the field against the 33-year-old veteran of two World Cup wins at Cape Town Stadium last … The Lions continued the Hurricanes bad season with an easy win. The Brumbies pulled an upset win over the Crusaders to keep their semi final hopes alive. The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. Picture: Gallo Images. The Chiefs put on a convincing win against the Lions to start week seven. The Cheetahs will be led by another 2007 RWC winner in Ruan Pienaar while former Blitzbok hotstepper, Rosko Specman, is also back in Bloemfontein following a stint in Pretoria. Seeking their first ever victory at Subiaco the Force looked to have squandered an 11–10 lead upon conceding a try with two minutes left to put the score at 17–11. The score was 22 – 16 to the Hurricanes at 80 minutes but a final minute try to Toby Morland in the corner turned things around. White was also keen to rest some players during the Boks' 2006 mid-year internationals against Scotland and France.[2]. The Waratahs scored a try late in the game to seemingly secure a win with the kick to come – but Peter Hewat missed a relatively easy kick to hand the Crusaders a 34–33 win. Toyota Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie has named another 2007 RWC winner, Ruan Pienaar, to lead his side in the first round of this exciting new competition, which starts this weekend as competitive action returns to South African rugby … The Central Union emphasized points to the SARU such as that the region is second only to the Western Province in terms of producing players for the national side. With the semi final week just around the corner, Week 13 saw some close matches including the opener between the Highlanders and the Hurricanes at the cake tin. The Free State Cheetahs, one of the sides that make up the current Central Cheetahs, competed in one Super 12 season in 1997. Cheetahs out of PRO Rugby. [3] These players would be available for their franchises from Week 8. Six Nations Team of the Week - Round One 19:29 Feb 7 5165 The Six Nations returned just over three months after the conclusion of the 2020 edition of the tournament. The Cheetahs' home stadium is the Free State Stadium, previously referred to as Vodacom Park for sponsorship purposes, located in Bloemfontein. In its first season the Cheetahs did surprisingly well, finishing tenth in the final standings, out of 14 sides. Jan 2013 – Present7 years 10 months. Most points for (team) Super 12 era: 469, Crusaders Super 14 era: 436, Bulls Super Rugby (15) era: 489, Hurricanes Super Rugby (18) era: 596, Hurricanes Most points against (team) Super 12 era: 500, Bulls Super 14 era: 585, Lions Super Rugby (15) era: 570, Rebels () It was expected that the Australians would want to rest only a few players, especially veterans such as Stephen Larkham and George Gregan, as they are seen as key to Australia's World Cup chances. [1], The Cheetahs was one of the two new franchises that entered the expanded Super 14 competition in 2006, the other being Australia's Western Force. They seemed to reach this goal with little effort against a humiliated Reds side, setting a new Super Rugby record for winning margin of 89 points. Following SANZAAR's decision to reduce the number of teams for 2018, the South African Rugby Union announced that the Cheetahs would be one of the teams cut from the 2018 competition. The official mobile App for the Toyota Free State Cheetahs Rugby team. The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. The Sharks played an efficient and professional game whilst the Stormers played their usual erratic hot and cold game that had seen them beat some good teams during the season, but in the end the Sharks easily claimed a 36–10 victory to be the first South African side to finish at the top of the table at the end of the round-robin stage in the Super 14 competition's history. In a surprise result, the Cheetahs beat the table leaders, thus winning their first home game and proving they deserve to be in the Super 14. The Sharks suffered their first loss of the season as the Brumbies recording a big upset at ABSA Stadium. A then-capacity crowd of 37,383 watched the Cheetahs in their first official Super 14 match against the Bulls on 10 February 2006. It was also the Brumbies first ever away win against the Sharks. Season records. Griffons and Pumas in the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup.. Jonker announced his retirement in 2013 due to a chronic ankle injury, aged 25. Former Bok star Ollie le Roux in action for the Cheetahs in 2007. Potchefstroom. The Cheetahs (known for sponsorship reasons as the Toyota Cheetahs), is a South African professional rugby union team that played Super Rugby between 2006 and 2017, before joining the Pro14 competition prior to the 2017–18 season. Rosko Specman (Cheetahs) has gained 111 metres per game in Super Rugby Unlocked; he is the only player to have played multiple games and maintained an average of 100 metres or more per game. The Stormers upset the Lions 30–8 in Cape Town. It was also the team's fourth try of the game which gave them a bonus point on top of the win. The Sharks dominated the lions to make sure they would at least get a home semi final. The 2007 Rugby World Cup winner was initially contracted at the Cheetahs on a contract of two-years after joining from the French team, Montpellier ..Read More Stormers flyhalf Kade Wolhuter was only six years old when Frans Steyn and his Springbok teammates lifted the 2007 World Cup trophy in France. After representing the Free State Cheetahs at the 2005 Under-18 Craven Week competition, he progressed through the different youth structures at the team, playing for the Free State U19 side in 2006 and for the Free State U21 side in 2007 and 2008.. Free State Cheetahs. 60. [6] In November 2006, SA Rugby and the Spears reached a settlement. In the pre-season of their entrance to the new look Super 14 competition, the Cheetahs played both of the other new franchises, new Australian team; the Western Force and 2007 fellow South African team, the Southern Spears. SA Rugby Return Warm-up match 2: Toyota Cheetahs vs Griquas. Pienaar set for long-awaited return. The Free State Cheetahs, one of the sides that make up the current Central Cheetahs, competed in one Super 12 season in 1997. They will still exist as an organisation to promote and develop rugby in the Southern and Eastern Cape region, with the support of SA Rugby and the SARU, but will now not be a part of Super Rugby in the foreseeable future. The next day opened with the Blues thrashing an in-form Lions outfit 41–14.