Frans Steyn: Faf de Klerk Not Perfect Yet 2026

Faf de Klerk scored the match-winning try in the final moments to hand the Cheetahs a 31-26 victory over the Stormers XXIII at Athlone Stadium on Sunday, earning Man of the Match honours in the process. But coach Frans Steyn is not letting his star scrumhalf off the hook that easily.

De Klerk's Commitment to Cheetahs Culture

Speaking on Tuesday, Steyn was effusive about what De Klerk brings to Bloemfontein — then drew a sharp line. "The feelings he has for the Cheetahs, there's nothing he won't do for this place," Steyn said. "He's all in and wants to see this place get better every day. He didn't do everything right on the weekend and he'll hear that in the team meeting. But he's a good team man. He listens to everybody and has stuff to say when he thinks we can do something better. We have missed somebody like that."

That is exactly the kind of culture a team building toward a title needs. De Klerk's late try sealed the win, but Steyn's message is that winning ugly is not enough. The Cheetahs climbed to second on the Currie Cup log after the result, level on points with leaders Griquas but behind on points difference — a fact that sharpens the incentive to perform more convincingly.

Steyn Tempers Expectations Despite Strong Start

Steyn acknowledged the position is better than expected, but refused to dress it up. "If you told me before the season started that after four rounds we'd be tied at the top, we would have taken it. We're happy. But I don't think we are at the level we want to be. We need to play much better if we want to win this competition. We want to play old winning Free State rugby and we're not there yet. Our kicking game wasn't good on the weekend. Our lineout struggled. Defensively, we soaked tackles in the first half. There's still a lot of work for us to do."

Captain Neels Volschenk echoed that honesty while underlining why Sunday's win mattered beyond bragging rights. "Those three extra points we have now on the log are going to be crucial as we progress to the end of this competition," he said. "If you want a home semi or home final, that matters." But Volschenk was equally direct about the standard: "No one — not me, not the coaches, not any player — is naive about how much work still needs to be put in. Against the Stormers we were not better than we were against Griquas."

Cheetahs Travel to Face Winless Bulls

The Cheetahs' next assignment arrives on Sunday when they travel to Loftus Versfeld to face the winless Bulls XV. The Bulls have lost all four of their Currie Cup matches so far, including a damaging 31-33 home defeat to the Pumas last weekend, but Volschenk refused to treat the fixture as a gimme. "They have talented rugby players and like we've seen against the Lions and the Sharks, if you think you're just going to pitch up and win, it's not going to be easy. You have to work hard, be on it and be clinical."

Steyn and Volschenk are saying all the right things. Now the Cheetahs need their performance at Loftus to back it up — De Klerk included.