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TOYOTA CHEETAHS 2017/18
THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW…
ABOUT THE CHEETAHS!
The Cheetahs’ home ground for
the expanded Guinness PRO14
is the Toyota Stadium in
Bloemfontein and is 4,577 feet
above sea level!
01
The capacity of the stadium –
formerly the Free State Stadium
- was increased to 48,000 to
accommodate the crowds at the
2010 FIFA World Cup in South
Africa.
02
Bloemfontein is one of three
national capitals of South Africa
– the others being Pretoria and
Cape Town – and is the judicial
centre of the nation.
03
The PRO14 Cheetahs side is
one element of a sophisticated
Free State Cheetahs operation
and drawn from the Western half
of the Province.
04
The Free State Cheetahs
compete successfully in the
domestic Currie Cup series and
will defend the title in 2017.
05
The Cheetahs’ last game in
Super Rugby was a 21-20
win over the other PRO14
newcomers – the Southern
Kings – in Port Elizabeth in July.
06
Tonight’s visitors played in
Super Rugby for the first time
in 2006, ‘mixing it’ with the
best club sides in the southern
hemisphere.
07
Rassie Erasmus, currently in
charge at Munster and newly-
appointed Director of Rugby
with the South African national
side, coached the Cheetahs in
its Super Rugby debut season
of 2006.
08
Legendary flanker Juan
Smith, ‘capped’ 70 times by
the Springboks, skippered
the Cheetahs between 2006
and 2011, and returned from
a career-threatening injury
to become a key member of
Toulon’s European Cup-winning
sides in 2014 and 2015.
09
For its Guinness PRO14 debut
the Cheetahs travelled 9,000
miles to Kingspan Stadium and
stay in Ireland to play Munster
next weekend before their trip
home.
10
Zebre will provide the opposition
for the Cheetahs’ first home
game in the PRO14 on the
third weekend this month with
Leinster arriving a week later.
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