Cheetahs assistant Corniel van Zyl: Springbok Showdown showed our methods DO work

• Not only was Luan de Bruin, Junior Pokomela and Rosko Specman's participation at the Springbok Showdown belated recognition of their talents but also validation for the Cheetahs coaching staff's methods.
• Assistant coach Corniel van Zyl admits that some of their players at times doubt how relevant the coaching in Bloemfontein is relative to higher levels. 
• But the week in the national camp has shown De Bruin and Pokomela that the Cheetahs are very much on par with the rest.

Strange as it may sound, Luan de Bruin, Junior Pokomela and Rosko Specman's involvement at the Springbok Showdown wasn't just recognition of their talents as Cheetahs stalwarts but also the coaching staff.

Playing in Bloemfontein must, at times, feel like playing on an island.

There's a real sense that the central franchise, for all that it has contributed to South African rugby in general, operates in isolation.

The Cheetahs' participation in the PRO14 has largely been out of sight, they don't have many players that get called up to national camps, the city missed out on the initial World Cup trophy tour and, now, they've been voted out of PRO Rugby in future. 

It's little wonder then players like tighthead De Bruin and flanker Pokomela might wonder how relevant their team's methods are, especially given the relative lack of recognition the franchise receives in general.

Thankfully, assistant coach Corniel van Zyl admits, the two stars returned to the City of Roses with a very comforting thought: the Cheetahs are indeed doing things on par with the rest.

                                                                          Corniel van Zyl (Gallo Images)

"To be honest, we sometimes have players that start playing here and don't quite understand why we do a thing the way we do it," said the former international lock, who played eight Tests for Italy.

"Then they reach of higher level and realise that, 'Hey, these guys do exactly the same things that we do at the Cheetahs'. I believe the only difference is that methods and plans are executed better, you're after all among players of national interest. 

"It's a great learning curve. It's validation that what we're doing here, the guys at the top also do."

Needless to say, the confidence gained from that realisation has been huge, particularly for De Bruin, who was plucked from relative obscurity after Bok scrum guru and former Cheetahs coach Daan Human punted him.

"They definitely benefited greatly from the experience at Newlands," said Van Zyl, whose forwards will face a stern challenge when they take on the Bulls in Super Rugby Unlocked at home on Friday.

"You can see clearly the effect it's had on a guy like Luan, his confidence has skyrocketed. I thought he played really well in that match. Junior had a little less time on the field but I'm really hopeful that they'll get similar opportunities down the line."

                                                                            Junior Pokomela (Gallo Images)

Another bonus is that both men are part of the Cheetahs' leadership group, meaning they've enthusiastically taken the lead in sharing their new knowledge with team-mates.

"Those to guys are super professionals. They're intimate with our system and now they've come back to share some different ideas. It's exactly the type of dynamic that we want," said Van Zyl.   

Kick-off for Friday's big clash at the Free State Stadium is at 19:00.