ST HELEN’S: South Africa’s Cheetahs to play their European home games in Swansea

St Helen’s will host four European matches across two weekends this season, after the Toyota Cheetahs chose the rebuilt Swansea ground as their home for the Challenge Cup.

The South African side will play the Dragons there on Sunday 13 December at 1pm, then return to face French Top 14 club USAP on Sunday 17 January at 3.15pm.

Each comes the day after an Ospreys home tie. The Ospreys host Harlequins on Saturday 12 December at 1pm and RC Vannes on Saturday 16 January at 8pm, which makes it four EPCR Challenge Cup games at the ground in the space of two weekends.

The Cheetahs are in Pool 1 with Ulster, USAP, the Dragons, Bayonne and Zebre Parma. Their other two pool games are away, in Bayonne on 18 October and Parma on 10 January.

“A nice braai” on the seafront

The Cheetahs want their supporters living in Britain to treat Swansea as a home fixture. MJ Smith, the club’s chief operating officer, said: “We aim to make St Helen’s a home away from home for the Toyota Cheetahs and, importantly, for our supporters abroad.”

“We want to create a memorable matchday experience where Cheetahs supporters can come together, enjoy great rugby and a nice braai and feel part of the Toyota Cheetahs family.”

Frans Steyn, the former Springbok who is now the Cheetahs’ director of rugby, said St Helen’s “has a proud history, and we’re looking forward to playing there, experiencing the newly redeveloped stadium and making it our home in Europe”.

“Most importantly, we’re looking forward to getting out there and playing some good Cheetah rugby,” he added.

Why the Ospreys wanted it

For the Ospreys it is an early chance to show what having their own ground allows. Richard Lancaster, the club’s managing director for business, said: “Having our own venue gives us the ability to bring additional high-quality rugby and events to Swansea.”

He thanked the WRU for permission to stage the matches, and called the arrangement “another really positive step” in a relationship that has already seen players move between the two clubs. Wing Dan Kasende joined the Ospreys from the Cheetahs in 2024.

The clubs say they will also look at the two squads training together while the Cheetahs are in Swansea.

Tickets for the Cheetahs games are not on sale yet. Both clubs say on-sale dates will be announced shortly.

A packed first season at the rebuilt ground

The ground reopens on Wednesday with Gower College against Cardiff and Vale College, the first rugby there since the £7.6m rebuild began. The Ospreys’ first game at St Helen’s is against the Dragons on Saturday 24 October.

Anyone on the terrace for the December double-header will be in the open air: the roof has been pushed to a later phase of the rebuild, with no date.

The Ospreys’ own European campaign starts away at Black Lion in Tbilisi on Saturday 17 October. They are in Pool 3 with Edinburgh, Black Lion, Harlequins, Toulon and Vannes, and visit Toulon on Saturday 9 January between the two Swansea weekends.

European rugby at St Helen’s, 2026/27

• Sat 12 Dec: Ospreys v Harlequins, 1pm
• Sun 13 Dec: Toyota Cheetahs v Dragons, 1pm
• Sat 16 Jan: Ospreys v RC Vannes, 8pm
• Sun 17 Jan: Toyota Cheetahs v USAP, 3.15pm