Eight players commit futures to Toyota Cheetahs
Free State Rugby is delighted to announce that eight talented players have committed their future with the Toyota Cheetahs until 2019 and they are William Small-Smith, Nico Lee, Elandré Huggett, Ernst Stapelberg, JP du Preez, Lloyd Greeff, Sibabalo Qoma and Dennis Visser.
Indications are that announcements on a number of other top players can be expected soon due to the fact that the contracting process only just started.
William Small-Smith (Centre)
Date of Birth 31 March 1992
Super Rugby Debut: 2014 vs. Highlanders (Bulls)
Guinness PRO14: 1 September 2017 vs Ulster
Springbok Sevens: 2011 – 2012
Fast and with a proven ability to finish, Small-Smith’s real strength lies in his on-field organisational and leadership traits. A leader of men with a natural feel for the game, the developing centre will become even more influential in years to come.
He made his debut against the Highlanders in April last year and showed why he was so highly rated. Deft touches and solid defence allowed players around him to blossom and more of the same can be expected of this gifted midfielder in 2015.
Small-Smith played in 8 of 10 games in the 2016 Currie Cup, the two matches he didn’t play was the Semi Final against the Lions in Bloemfontein and in the Home Final against the Blue Bulls. (2016 Currie Cup Champions). Small-Smith has a total of 28 Currie Cup caps to his name with a total of 21 SuperRugby matches and 10 Guinness PRO14 caps so far.
Nico Lee (Centre)
Date of Birth 13 March 1994
Currie Cup Debut: 2016 vs WP (Cheetahs)
Super Rugby Debut: 2016 vs. Bulls (Cheetahs)
Guinness PRO14: 16 September 2017 vs Zebre
Lee played schoolboy rugby for Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria, but missed out on selection for the Blue Bulls’ squad for the Craven Week competition in 2012. In 2013, Lee moved to Bloemfontein where he represented the Free State U19 side in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship competition, making eleven starts during the season, scoring four tries and a penalty during the campaign.
Lee played 8 of 10 games in the 2016 Currie Cup, including the Semi Final against the Lions in Bloemfontein and in the Home Final against the Blue Bulls. (2016 Currie Cup Champions). Lee has a total of 9 Currie Cup caps to his name and represented the Toyota Cheetahs in 14 Super Rugby matches and 12 Guinness PRO14 matches to date. Nico scored a hat-trick of tries against the Kings on the 13th of January 2018 in a Guinness PRO14 match in Port Elizabeth.
Elandre Hugget (Hooker)
Date of Birth 5 October 1991
Currie Cup Debut: 2012 vs Griquas
Super Rugby Debut: 2015 vs. Waratahs (Cheetahs)
He joined Welkom-based side Griffons in 2013 and played 15 matches. He was a key member of their 2014 Currie Cup First Division side. He played in the final and helped the Griffons win the match against the Valke 23–21 to win their first trophy for six years.
In 2015 he played in 2 Super Rugby matches making his debut on 6 June 2015 against the Waratahs in Bloemfontein as a substitute for Torsten van Jaarsveld. Huggett has a total of 15 SuperRugby caps and 16 Currie Cup caps to his name.
Ernst Stapelberg (Flyhalf)
Date of Birth 6 February 1995
Guinness PRO14 debut: 16 September 2017 vs. Zebre
Having represented South Africa at the 2015 U20 World Champions Ernst Stapelberg continued to represent his University, Maties, in the Varsity Cup.
With an accurate boot and array of skills, he helped Maties to the 2017 Varsity Cup final and he was eventually named in the Dream Team. His efforts earned him a call up into the Western Province squad for the 2017 Currie Cup.
In late August 2017, the Free State Cheetahs bolstered their squad with the signing of the former Junior Springbok for the remainder of their Currie Cup season and he also made his debut for the Guinness PRO14 side and playing four matches. Stapelberg is currently rated under the top 15 best Guinness PRO14 kickers in the 2017/18 championship.
JP du Preez (Lock)
Date of Birth 9 November 1994
In 2015, Du Preez was included in the Lions squad for the 2015 Super Rugby season and was named on the bench for their Round two matches against the Sharks. He made his Super Rugby debut, coming on as a substitute just after the hour mark and, in doing so, becoming the tallest player ever to play Super Rugby. Du Preez signed with the Toyota Cheetahs in 2017 till 2019.
Lloyd Greeff (Centre)
Date of Birth 3 January 1994
Greeff joined the Golden Lions, but suffered a knee injury that ruled him out of action for the majority of his Lions career. He made just a single senior appearance for the team, as a late replacement in a 35–all draw against the Eastern Province Kings in the 2016 Currie Cup.
Greeff moved to Italy to join Pro12 side Zebre before the 2016–2017 season.
He played his first Currie Cup match for the Toyota Free State Cheetahs from the bench in 2017 against WP in Cape Town. He played his first Currie Cup match in the starting line-up against the Pumas at Toyota Stadium.
Sibabalo Qoma (Lock/flank)
Date of Birth 14 August 1995
Sibabalo Qoma came through the Toyota Free State Academy and was named the Toyota Free State XV player the year for 2017 after a good year on the field.
Dennis Visser (Lock)
Date of Birth 20 February 1993
Currie Cup Debut 19 August 2017 vs. Bulls
Guinness PRO14 4 November 2017 vs. Connacht
Visser was named in the training squad of Bloemfontein-based Super Rugby franchise the Cheetahs for the 2016 Super Rugby season. [17] In January 2016, he was released from the training squad to join Varsity Cup side UFS Shimlas.
Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
26 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
26 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
48 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
26 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
26 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
26 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
26 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
26 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments