Cheetahs beating the Sharks makes a two-pronged point, in the Challenge Cup and SA rugby

To gain a sense of how seismic the Cheetahs' upset of the Sharks in Bloemfontein on Sunday, consider what they will be up to before their next Challenge Cup clash against French side Pau next month.

While the South African franchises will battle-harden themselves for the remainder of the Challenge Cup pool games by playing in United Rugby Championship (URC) games to see out the rest of the year, the Cheetahs - who have played little rugby outside the tournament because the Currie Cup has yet to kick off - will put up their feet, spend time with family and do a little conditioning at home over the next two weeks.

It is only after that they will gather as a team before departing for the Netherlands, their home base for the Challenge Cup, for their 14 January match against the French team. As attempts to build momentum go, this is probably the worst possible way to go about it, particularly as it disrupts the rhythm of two back-to-back wins over the last fortnight (the Cheetahs opened their 2023-24 Challenge Cup account with a win away at Zebre).