Cheetahs choose Swansea's St Helen's for Challenge Cup home fixtures

Cheetahs will stage their home matches in this season's European Challenge Cup at St Helen's in Swansea, BBC Sport reported. The South African team will use the home of Ospreys for two fixtures, bringing another club's European programme to the newly redeveloped Welsh venue.

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Dragons will be Cheetahs' first visitors on Sunday, 13 December, with French side Perpignan due to follow on Sunday, 17 January. Each match is scheduled for the day after an Ospreys home fixture in the same competition. The arrangement therefore places games involving both clubs at St Helen's on consecutive days across two European weekends.

Playing their designated home matches away from South Africa is an established arrangement for Cheetahs in the second-tier European tournament. BBC Sport noted that the club has previously based its European fixtures on the continent, including matches in Amsterdam during the 2024-25 season. Swansea is the venue selected for this season's two home dates.

The agreement builds on existing ties between the teams. Y11 Sports & Media holds a majority stake in Ospreys and also has an investment interest in Cheetahs. Players have moved between the two clubs, giving the relationship a playing dimension alongside those investment connections.

Ospreys managing director Richard Lancaster thanked the Welsh Rugby Union for granting permission for the matches to be played at St Helen's. He described hosting Cheetahs as a further step in developing the clubs' relationship and said having their own venue created opportunities to bring additional rugby and other events to Swansea.

Cheetahs director of rugby Frans Steyn, the former South Africa international, welcomed the arrangement. In comments reported by the BBC, he acknowledged the stadium's history and said his team looked forward to experiencing the redeveloped ground and using it as their European home.

Before those European fixtures, Ospreys are scheduled to make their own debut at the redeveloped St Helen's on Saturday, 24 October. Their opening match there is set to be a United Rugby Championship Welsh derby against Dragons, who will subsequently return to the ground as Cheetahs' December opponents.