Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Cheetahs will square off against three international teams when they host the second Toyota Challenge in Bloemfontein between 30 September and 21 October.
International outfits Emerging Ireland, Italy A and USA National A have been added to the schedule for the event this year, while the Cheetahs will also tackle their neighbours Griquas.
Five teams will participate in the four-match Toyota Challenge, with the Cheetahs taking on Griquas, Italy A, Emerging Ireland and USA National A in one-off matches. The winning team will earn R250 000, and a total of R1 000 000 will be up for grabs.
Italy A and the Emerging Ireland team will consist of some of the best young players in Ireland and Italy, while the USA National A side will be composed of the Major League Rugby (MLR) teams in the USA but without their European players.
The Toyota Challenge will form part of the USA Eagles’ preparation for their World Cup qualifier in November in Dubai, in which they will compete against Hong Kong, Kenya and Portugal for a place in the 2023 World Cup tournament in France.
Leading up to the Toyota Challenge matches, the international teams will play in a series of Toyota-friendly matches in South Africa. Italy A will play against the Griquas and Currie Cup champions the Pumas; Emerging Ireland will face Griquas and the Pumas, and USA National A will take on the Pumas.
Ross van Reenen
, CEO of the Free State Cheetahs, commented: “We are particularly delighted that Toyota has again strengthened its ties with the Toyota Cheetahs by sponsoring this event.
“The inaugural tournament last year was a huge success and I have no doubt that this year’s Toyota Challenge will be even more successful and exciting. The tournament will also be good preparation for the Toyota Cheetahs’ participation in the EPCR Challenge Cup, which kicks off in December.”
Jurie Roux
, CEO of SA Rugby, added: “This is very exciting for all the teams involved, and I’m sure we’ll see some open running rugby in Bloemfontein. We are thankful for Toyota’s involvement in rugby and for creating opportunities for the game to grow in exciting new ways.
“It’s also great to see new talent from Emerging Ireland and Italy A and the Eagles from the USA where the game is growing, and their involvement will add something extra to this year’s Toyota Challenge.”
David Nucifora
, the IRFU’s performance director, said they were looking forward to sending a team to South Africa.
“We are grateful to Toyota and the team at Cheetahs Rugby for creating this opportunity for our Emerging Ireland squad, which will allow us to expose players of national interest not only to a touring environment but also to a high standard of South African opposition.
“This tournament will provide a significant development opportunity as we look to grow the depth of our national panel ahead of RWC 2023 and into the future.”
Italy A head coach Alessandro Troncon said the event will help their young stars to gain some international experience.
“Italy A’s aim is developing an international experience for our more interesting prospects among the URC franchises and TOP10 domestic championship, increasing the top-level playing opportunities.
“Competing in the Toyota Challenge, facing some of the most exciting and competitive Currie Cup sides, is fully consistent with our team goals and more in general with our high-level development pathway. We will be facing three challenging rugby matches, offering our young guns a chance for testing themselves both physically and technically.”
Gary Gold
, USA Eagles head coach and a former Springbok assistant coach, added that it’s a great opportunity for them to build their depth.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to bring players who have played MLR rugby in the USA for the first half of the year, and this competition offers them the opportunity to get to play against some of the best provincial teams in SA.
“This experience will be unique to quite a few of the players who have not spent much time playing rugby outside of the US, let alone be able to play in a country where rugby is so popular. Some of these players will also join the USA National team in November in Dubai, so the experience will stand them in an excellent position of preparation. We are very grateful to have been invited by the Cheetahs, and hopefully, this can become a regular event and one where we can reciprocate.”
Arni van Rooyen
, CEO of the Griqualand West Rugby Union, added: “It’s an excellent opportunity to participate in such a prestigious international competition and assist Griquas’ preparations for the 2023 Currie Cup. A word of thanks to Toyota South Africa Motors, the main sponsor of the competition and to the Cheetahs for inviting Griquas. It will also allow for the players to test themselves against international opposition.”
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