Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie admits that even though they knew it was coming, hearing they would not be playing in the new Rainbow Cup came as a huge disappointment.
It was confirmed recently that South Africa's four Super Rugby teams - the Lions, Sharks, Bulls and Stormers - will contest a new Rainbow Cup competition with the current Guinness PRO14 clubs in the northern hemisphere next year.
The expanded tournament gets under way in April of next year but there was no place for the Cheetahs at the table.
"It is bad and it has been bad for a long time," Fourie said. "We have learnt to live with it, but I think in all of our hearts we would have wanted to be a part of that competition. But it’s not destined for us and we have made peace with the matter and have moved on."
The Cheetahs have dealt with the disappointment in superb fashion, however, and have given themselves a great chance of making the Currie Cup play-offs following last Sunday's 37-10 victory over the Sharks in Bloemfontein.
It typifies the franchise's fighting spirit, which has had to overcome many obstacles in the past, including getting dropped from the Super Rugby competition three years ago.
“It has been a heavy blow to our union and we have lost many players because of the decision to exclude the Cheetahs. But we will build again from where we are now,” Fourie said.
The Cheetahs are now actively seeking new tournaments to play in, and are waiting to hear if their application to join the new Intercontinental Shield competition has been accepted.
The union has confirmed its interest in joining the new competition believed to consist of teams from Spain, Germany and Russia.
- TEAMtalk media