What began as a New Year journey from Bloemfontein culminated in sub-zero temperatures, snow-covered pitches, and a remarkable community effort to save the fixture.
The original venue in Amsterdam had to be abandoned after the municipality suspended all outdoor sporting events, prompting organisers to relocate the game to 's-Hertogenbosch, where it was set to be played behind closed doors.
Dukes issued a call to action on Saturday, with players, coaches, staff, volunteers and local residents spending days manually removing snow from the pitch.
Cheetahs CEO Rory Duncan described the scale of the operation as extraordinary.
"The community and everybody at the rugby club got involved, from young kids to adults," Duncan said.
"Everyone was involved because it was quite a big operation. We did everything in our power. I'm talking about manual labour moving snow off the pitch and using every resource we had. We wanted to play the fixture."
But despite days of hard work shovelling snow and preparing the pitch, severe winter conditions ultimately forced the match to be cancelled.
Referee Kevin Bralley deemed the surface unsafe just an hour before kick-off, and in line with EPCR regulations, the fixture was recorded as a 28–0 four-try bonus-point win for Ulster, ending the Cheetahs' hopes of advancing in the competition.
The match had generated significant interest, selling out by 2 January, ten days before kick-off. Rugby Nederland, which hosts the Cheetahs' European home fixtures, was praised for months of preparation and commitment.
The Cheetahs also thanked Dukes Rugby Club and its community, led by club president Robert van Schayk, for exemplifying rugby's values of teamwork and unity.
“No effort in life is ever wasted. Every situation holds a reason and a lesson, even if we only see it clearly when we look back,” he said.
The Free Staters will now conclude their Challenge Cup campaign with an away match against Racing in Paris on Sunday.
The Lions will head into a crucial two-week tour of France and Wales bolstered by the return of Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who has been declared fit to travel after a minor hamstring concern.
The Challenge Cup clash between the Cheetahs and Ulster has been postponed following a pitch inspection in Amsterdam on Sunday afternoon.
Junior Springbok Batho Hlekani enjoyed a superlative debut in the red and white of the Lions in their Challenge Cup victory over Lyon in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The Lions held on to secure a thrilling 43-33 victory over Lyon in a pulsating EPCR Challenge Cup encounter at Ellis Park.
