The Toyota Cheetahs winger, Daniel Kasende, is excited and ready to don the orange again this weekend when they host the Sharks in Bloemfontein in round two of the EPCR Challenge Cup.

The 28-year-old flyer has been at the Ospreys in Wales for the past month on a loan deal, while last week he missed out on playing against Zebre in Parma due to visa issues.

The Currie Cup winner picked up a few new skills in Wales from the likes of the Welsh legend, George North, but early in the week he posted on his social media 'Orange is the new black' and that is an indication of his eagerness to take to the field with his teammates again. It's also a reference to the black jerseys of the Ospreys and the orange of the Cheetahs.

Kasende told OFM Sport that he looks forward to playing in front of the Free State faithful again, especially with it being the first-ever ECPR Challenge Cup to be played in Bloemfontein and the Free State.

“It's definitely good to be back in Bloem - I missed playing with the brothers, I missed the atmosphere you get here with all the guys working hard for each other,” said Kasende.

“It's definitely a lot hotter than it was in Wales. Not to say I'm transitioning back, but it's just a welcome back from the Bloemfontein sun.

“We've all been mentioning the fact that this is the first game in Bloem. That is going to be really special and I think we've been working hard and sacrificing to play abroad.

“Now it's just the enjoyment of our own fans and our own families and friends, and doing it within our own borders, which is really cool.”

The fleet-footed winger added that he tried to tap in to the hard-earned experience and wisdom of players such as North, and he wasn’t to transfer what he learnt to his teammates back home.

“It was amazing - there were a lot of senior guys and Welsh international players in our team, such as the likes of George North.

“He really helped me a lot - identifying key movements and key patterns on the field are some of the things that I picked up. At the end of the day, I tried to push them as much as they did with me.

“Coming back here I just hope that I can add that little bit of value to the team.”

Sunday’s eagerly anticipated match at the Toyota Stadium kicks off at 15:00.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport