Cheetahs to knock doors down to get what they deserve

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SPOTLIGHT: Rory Duncan is on a mission to make the Cheetahs great again.

The 47-year-old was officially unveiled as the new CEO of the Free State Cheetahs this week and he has already outlined his goals for the franchise.

He is no stranger to the Bloemfontein side.

He captained the Cheetahs to Currie Cup victory in 2007, and he played an instrumental role in negotiating the team's participation in Northern Hemisphere rugby, in the Pro14 after exclusion from Super Rugby.

His playing days also included stints with the Sharks, Southern Kings and clubs in Japan.

Duncan's transition into coaching saw him lead the Cheetahs as head coach in the first Pro14 season in 2017/18, followed by coaching internationally in England and Japan.

The Cheetahs believe his vast experience, on and off the field, positions him well to guide the team into a new era of growth and achievement.

"The main objective here is to get our rugby back on track," Duncan told reporters on Wednesday.

"We are a representative team of the Free State region and our focus is to get our rugby back on track.

"To do that there are a few things that we need to look at and change."

One of those things will be trying to get the Cheetahs involved in a major competition.

They are not one of the four South African franchises competing in the United Rugby Championship and they had to make do with invitations to compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup in the last couple of seasons.

"It is part of the vision," Duncan said.

"We are competing in the EPCR at the moment, which is an international competition but we would like to be competing in a competition like the URC or Super Rugby or something similar.

"I think it is important for our players and our support base."

He added: "A lot of bricks have to be put into place and that's our goal.

"We need to start from that foundation and start putting those bricks into place so that we can prove that we are capable of playing in an international competition.

"I know it's important for our support base to be playing international rugby."

Whether it's finding an international competition or improving the financial situation, Duncan is ready to face whatever is thrown at him.

"There is no hiding from the challenges," he said.

"I don't think it is a secret that there are challenges.

"You've got two options. You can either run away or we can take those challenges head-on, address them and see how we can move forward."

The Cheetahs will confirm their new coaching team at a later date.

@rugby365com