Harold Verster has indicated that the Cheetahs have found a new competition to participate in following their dismissal from the PRO14.
Following confirmation of PRO Rugby’s expansion from 14 to 16 teams next year, the Cheetahs and Kings were unceremoniously dumped from the competition to make way for the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers.
During his speech at the Cheetahs’ annual general meeting earlier this week, Verster said all is not lost for the team from Free State, hinting that they had all but secured a league to compete in as of next season.
‘I promise there is a bright future ahead,’ Verster said. ‘We returned from Johannesburg on after fruitful negotiations on Wednesday. We had also met with SA Rugby on Tuesday.’
‘In the near future, we’ll be in a position to announce that Free State bounced back, just like we did before. They kicked us out of Super Rugby and now they’ve kicked us out of PRO Rugby, but we bounce back every time.’
‘We are going to leave something wonderful behind, that’s my comfort. There’s something beautiful on the way.’
Photo: Frikkie Kapp/Gallo Images