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The unexpectedly high-flying Free Staters, after all, have increasingly become the “next favourite team” of many people from outside that province, due in no small way to the liberated brand of Super Rugby they’ve been playing – allied to the fact that much of their former defensive naivety has been quite emphatically banished.
Going into their key, appealing clash with the SA conference-leading Bulls in Bloemfontein on Saturday (19:10), the fourth-placed overall Cheetahs had registered 32 tries in the 2013 competition, more than anyone else from our shores (the Bulls had crossed the chalk 29 times).
They had leaked 25, only one more than the side from Pretoria, and were going to have to implode fairly violently in the remaining weeks of ordinary season if they were to emulate the situation last year where they showed a “minus 12” figure in terms of the tries-for-and-against stats, including letting in an undesirable 47.
So the Cheetahs must be doing something right this season, and I believe Ebersohn, starting regularly at inside centre although his earlier station had always tended to be at No 13, has never been far from the heart of their turnaround.
Perhaps rightfully at first, some pundits feared the Grey College product might not have quite the physical dimensions (1.80m and 89kg) to be a really dominant character closer to the traffic, but that has been shown to be a wholly unnecessary concern.
He has brought a combination of flair, composure, direction and intelligence to the demanding backline channel, and keep in mind that that has been despite the major inconvenience for the franchise of seeing the intended ally at his left shoulder, first-choice flyhalf Johan Goosen, succumb to a second long-term injury setback in quick succession.
Of course it is unclear whether Bok coach Heyneke Meyer does, indeed, plan to feature the fast maturing 24-year-old alongside his staple captain from 2012, the currently overplayed but nevertheless amazingly still vibrant Jean de Villiers, in midfield against the Italians.
Ebersohn has at least been part of his extended training group, which offers some hope that he will get his first-time opportunity during the June Test window.
That chance has only mushroomed with various cases of already-known absenteeism or fitness doubt among strong candidates for centre berths.
Frans Steyn, who initially operated at No 12 last season with De Villiers further out, is sidelined, the skipper’s partner at the Stormers, Juan de Jongh, is touch and go with a finger fracture, and the utility claims of JP Pietersen and Jaco Taute – although both are more familiar with back-three slots – also cannot be considered at present.
There are still the claims of long-legged Bulls No 13 JJ Engelbrecht to consider; he seemed to fall back in the pecking order a bit towards the end of last season, but has been suitably forceful anew in Super Rugby and also largely put paid to fears of some defensive frailty.
It is intriguing, too, that wunderkind Jan Serfontein has been pulled out of the SA Under-20 side to defend their IRB Junior World Championship title – he was so influential in securing it last year – in France shortly.
This suggests he is closer than some may think to active duty for the senior South Africa side, although a gut feel is that he may be blooded as a substitute initially to assess his mettle.
Serfontein would be a bold choice to start against Italy; Ebersohn would be a sensible one, and certainly one based indisputably around consistently sound form in Super Rugby 2013.
I feel strongly that a start-out pairing of De Villiers and Ebersohn, regardless of which way around they operate in the middle of the park – and maybe they are usefully interchangeable? – would not let the country down at all during this initial phase of the Test season.
They might also offer a whole lot more than just stability ...
*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing
