VIDEO: Revealed - what drives the Cheetahs
VIDEO: Cheetahs captain Victor Sekekete says they are hungry for something bigger and it all starts against a star-studded Springbok-laden Sharks team in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
The Cheetahs host the Sharks in the Challenge Cup Round Two encounter this weekend and they are well aware that they will be tested by a team with far bigger names in their armoury.
In 2020 the Cheetahs – who had previously been kicked out of Super Rugby controversially – lost their place in the Pro14 to make way for the then Super Rugby franchises (Stormers, Bulls, Lions and Sharks) to enter the United Rugby Championship.
Since then they have faced many hurdles that included an exodus of players and a major decrease in revenue streams because of their absence from an international competition.
But Sekekete says they are now looking for something much bigger than the Currie Cup, a local competition they have won three times since 2016.
(Article continues below Sekekete interview …)
“We are hungrier for something bigger,” the captain said in the build-up to this coming weekend’s big derbie.
“We have tasted the Currie Cup, but everyone is looking forward to something big so for the Cheetahs.
“We are looking to go overseas.
“Hopefully something happens again and we have a good season.”
“But so far so good,” he said of last week’s 33-15 Round One win over Zebre in Parma.
“We are where we want to be and hopefully, we can keep up the momentum.
“The work that we put in during the pre-season – I know a lot of people emphasize the fact that we didn’t have a lot of game time – but we made up for that.
“And I guess what we have been doing has worked for us.
“We got confidence out of that and it showcased in the game.
“The game is very special to us, the past season we had all our games away and now we get to have this one at home.
“It’s good for the boys to see if you work hard, what comes as a reward.
“So for us, this is a nice reward that we get to go out there and showcase what we can do.”
Forwards coach Izak van der Westhuizen also weighed in on the subject, confirming that the Cheetahs still have bigger dreams to impose themselves onto international competitions.
“We all have dreams here in the Free State for the union to go further and compete internationally again regularly,” Van der Westhuizen said.
“The game against the Sharks this weekend is a way for us to show what we are made of.”
@rugby365com
