The seats recline at 180 degrees, allowing players a good rest to recover and to perform optimally.

The Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Toyota SA, Leon Theron, addressed the media, Toyota Cheetah’s players, managers and the people who were gathered at the Toyota Stadium on Friday 17 February.

He gave a brief background about Toyota as a brand, how they have been operating in the country for 60 years, and that Hino has been in the country for 50 years. Hino is actually owned by Toyota, even though it is a different brand.

Theron said after the disaster hit their factory in Durban last year, they could’ve closed down their factory and shipped cars from overseas. However, as Toyota, they decided they will overcome the speed hump in their way and continue to provide business in South Africa.  “As a board, we said we are going to fix it and come out stronger, and that is exactly what we did,” he added.

The bus also offers the Free State Women's Rugby and the junior teams of the Toyota Academy a comfortable, safe, and reliable mode of transportation.

The players were excited about the bus as they are tall people and the bus had more legroom and bigger seats to accommodate them. The bus is also equipped with Wi-Fi, an advanced refrigerator and a toilet system.

Captain Victor Sekekete spoke to OFM Sport about the upcoming Currie Cup and he said that: “We are excited especially after the prep we got from the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) Challenge Cup. We are prepping ourselves mentally and physically for the upcoming games.”

He also mentioned that the bus is a good gesture and it will be convenient for them as they travel a lot during the Currie Cup season, to Kimberley and to Johannesburg. The bus will help by transporting their luggage to Johannesburg when they are going overseas.

Sekekete mentioned that they appreciate all the support they have been getting from the supporters and he urged them to keep on coming to the matches to watch them play.

Oupa Mohoje, who plays number 7 for the Cheetahs, said that they are looking forward to the Currie Cup and that he appreciated the bus as the managers thought of them when designing the bus because as players they appreciate a lot of legroom. That is what they have in this new bus.

"The Toyota Cheetahs is extremely grateful for the continued support of Toyota SA, who has been a proud sponsor of the team since 2011," said Ross van Reenen, CEO of the Free State Cheetahs (Pty) Ltd. "The bus is a testament to the strong relationship between the two organisations and their commitment to promoting rugby in our Free State community and the broader South Africa."

"This bus will play an essential role in our team's success, and we look forward to putting it to good use.”

The Toyota Cheetahs kick off their first match at 10:00 on Monday against the Sharks at the Toyota Stadium.

Zenande Mpame/OFM News