Certainly if you were a non-partisan observer watching their unconvincing, tense and sparkle-lacking victories over the Force and Bulls, and then Saturday’s extension of a ballooning Bloemfontein bogey as an under-strength Cheetahs outfit put a nasty spanner in their works, placing money on their domestic superiority come the end of ordinary season might seem a risky business indeed.
Yet the Capetonians, bumped back into second spot in the group as the Bulls earned a full house of log points from a high-quality home derby triumph over the Lions in Saturday night’s main feature, probably remain the best-placed team in terms of remaining itinerary demands to end up on top.