The Toyota Cheetahs have adopted a knockout rugby mindset heading into their must-win EPCR Challenge Cup third-round clash against Zebre in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Sunday.

Following back-to-back defeats against Perpignan of France and Cardiff Rugby of Wales in December, the pressure is on the Cheetahs to secure a win this weekend to keep their chances of reaching the knockout rounds for a third consecutive season alive.

The Cheetahs have been plagued by injuries to key players. Gideon van der Merwe (ankle) and Oupa Mohoje (shoulder) sustained injuries during the defeat to Cardiff. Additionally, Carl Wegner picked up a finger injury, while props Robert Hunt (calf) and Schalk Ferreira (hamstring) were injured during training in Bloemfontein ahead of the current tour.

Robert Hunt - Morgan Piek

However, these setbacks provide the Cheetahs with an opportunity to field younger and upcoming players, such as Neels Volschenk and Sisonke Vumazonke, allowing them to gain valuable experience against top international opposition. It remains to be seen whether both players will feature in the match, but based on training, Vumazonke might make an appearance.

Speaking to OFM Sport from Amsterdam, coach Izak van der Westhuizen mentioned that the team had a smooth journey to the Netherlands, and leaving later allowed them to fit in an additional quality training session in Bloemfontein.

“Yeah, luckily, no visa issues—we arrived a little bit earlier today. So, no, everything went quite well,” said the former Free State and Edinburgh lock.

“That was part of the planning. Since we are only playing on Sunday, we decided to get two good days of training in South Africa. We know the conditions would still be fine there because you never know what you’ll get once you’re here. So, I think we’re ready.

“Like you said, we had a couple of injuries in key positions with senior players, but again, that’s just the way rugby works. You can’t predict these things. It gives an opportunity to some of the younger guys to step in and show they deserve to play at this level.”

Van der Westhuizen added that while the team knows Zebre well from their PRO14 days, they cannot afford to underestimate the Parma-based side and must adopt a do-or-die approach.

“They’re a team that has beaten proper sides,” the coach added.

Carel-Jan Coetzee - Morgan Piek

“Looking at their results this year, they’ve been unlucky once or twice, coming very close to beating their opponents. Up front, they’re strong, especially in maul defence.

“Scrum-wise, they’re also very solid, and they’re a good attacking side. So, we’re not taking this lightly. It’s not a game where we come in thinking it’s going to be easy. We know we’re in for a big fight.

“They play against top opposition week-in and week-out, and we have to hit our groove very quickly. It’s a big challenge for us against a strong team.”

In their previous meeting, the Cheetahs defeated Zebre 33-15 in Parma during the first round of the 2023/24 competition.

Sunday’s match between the Cheetahs and Zebre at the NRCA Stadium in Amsterdam will kick off at 15:00.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport