‘We don’t have any excuses,’ says Cheetahs coach Frans Steyn ahead of Challenge Cup start

Cheetahs coach Frans Steyn asserts that his team has no reason to be concerned for this season's Challenge Cup competition, as they commence their tournament against Aviron Bayonnais in Bayonne, France on Sunday. The Cheetahs have participated as an invitational side in the second-tier European Rugby (EPCR) competition for the past four seasons, making this their fifth campaign.

Their previous best results were reaching the pool stage of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 editions, where they were defeated in the last 16 by French clubs Toulon and Clermont. The last two seasons have not been as successful, with the Cheetahs exiting the competition in the pool stage. This season, the Cheetahs will have to play their games overseas as they are an invitational side, making their base moves from the Netherlands National Rugby Stadium in Amsterdam to St Helen's Stadium in Swansea.

Steyn is confident in his team's abilities despite these challenges. He stated, "This year, we don’t have any excuses. We’ve got a great squad, and we need to perform. It doesn’t matter where we play, we need to stick to our game plan and execute it better than the opposition on the day." Steyn also expressed his excitement about the recent signing of Griquas star loose forward Carl Els, who played a crucial role in their second consecutive Currie Cup title last month.

"We’re all excited to have Carl Els here. He had a great Currie Cup campaign, and hopefully he finds his feet quickly in our squad and gets comfortable with our system. We want him to continue that good form, because we're definitely going to need it against Bayonne," said Steyn. Cheetahs captain Neels Volschenk acknowledged the challenge ahead but was optimistic about their prospects.

He remarked, "They’ve got an incredible squad with quality international players and guys who have played at the highest level. That will be a real test for us as a group, because we’ll need to match that standard." "We’re looking forward to the challenge, and with this year's EPCR schedule being so spread out, it will give us a good indication of where we stand."