The former Currie Cup-winning captain of the Free State started his new role at the franchise on Monday following close to seven years in England. Duncan, who is busy completing his MBA, is under no illusions about the monumental task that lies ahead.

In recent years, the Cheetahs have battled to establish themselves in a major international competition, and at this stage, they only play in the EPCR Challenge Cup, which gives them a guaranteed four games, none of which are at home. This is one of the major priorities for the Cheetahs.

There are no two ways about it – in 2024, the Cheetahs had a bad year on the field as well as in the boardroom. While the team managed to reach the Currie Cup semi-finals, they didn’t excel in the SA Cup or the Challenge Cup.

One of the Cheetahs’ major assets is their fans. Their fans are loyal and die-hard, and Duncan told OFM Sport that it is extremely important to regain the trust of the supporters through hard graft on the field, which needs to be backed up in the boardroom.

“I believe our fans are actually well-informed, and they know a lot about what's going on here,” said Duncan. “For me, trust is something that’s earned – it’s not an entitlement. Just because we are the Cheetahs brand doesn’t mean that we are entitled to a support base.

Show integrity

“We have to now show integrity in the way we act, and we also need to perform on the field. We’ve got a squad at the moment, and I believe, certainly from the management side and from our support base, what they want to see is 15 players at any given time playing their absolute heart out for the Cheetahs and representing the people of the Free State.

“It’s a lot of bricks that have to be put into place, and that’s our goal. So what we’ve got to do is start from that foundation and begin placing those bricks so we can prove that we are capable of playing in an international competition. I know it’s important for our support base for us to be playing international rugby.”

Chairman of the Board, Ryno Opperman, and new CEO, Rory Duncan. Photo: Morgan Piek

Duncan, who was hugely instrumental in getting the Cheetahs into the then PRO14, added that going international is important for both the players and the supporters, and this is something he will tackle head-on.

“The main objective here is to get our rugby back on track; that is the main objective,” Duncan added. “We are a rugby club, we are a representative team of the Free State region, and our focus is to get our rugby back on track.

“Obviously, to do that, there are a few things that we need to look at, change, and organise. But it is part of the vision – we are competing in the EPCR Challenge Cup at the moment, which is an international competition, but we would like to be competing in a competition like the United Rugby Championship or Super Rugby or one of those international competitions.

“I think it is important for our players, and I also think it is important for our support base.”

One thing that Duncan stressed was that it would be a process, and to be done correctly, it would require some time and patience. Duncan flew out to Cape Town on Wednesday afternoon to represent the union at the SA Rugby General Council meeting for the first time.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg