The Cheetahs are closely monitoring the uncertainty surrounding Welsh rugby for a possible path into the Vodacom URC.
A Welsh URC club is set to be shut down by the Welsh Rugby Union – most likely the Ospreys – leaving a potential opening for the Bloemfontein-based team.
The Cheetahs played in the Pro14 for three seasons but were not included in an expanded URC, which the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers joined in 2021.
Since then, the Free Staters have played in the SA Cup, Currie Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup (as an invited team).
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Discussions around a USA team joining the URC were reportedly shut down by SA Rugby due to travel concerns, while the RFU has blocked English Championship clubs from entering the competition. That leaves a gap the Cheetahs could exploit.
“We don’t want to let an opportunity slip away,” CEO Rory Duncan told News24. “We are well aware of the situation in Wales and everything that’s going on. It would be a privilege to be in the URC competition.”
The Cheetahs bowed out of this season’s Challenge Cup without a win, although their match against Ulster in Amsterdam was cancelled due to an unplayable pitch and they came close to beating Racing 92 in Paris last weekend.
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Duncan insists the campaign was still an important step in the Cheetahs’ broader ambition to secure a permanent place in an international competition.
“We are always looking for opportunities, trying to explore what is available to us,” he said. “That is an ongoing process, and hopefully we will be able to get into a competition at some point in the not too distant future.”
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