Western Province rugby captain Pieter Rossouw says it was nice to wake up on Sunday morning and read his team's name second on the Currie Cup log. The big test in George on Saturday is whether they can play like champions in waiting.
With only one win to their credit in the Currie Cup, the South Western Districts Eagles might be regarded as cannon fodder against a Province side that thrashed the Mpumalanga Pumas at Newlands last Saturday and comfortably accounted for Griquas in Kimberley a week before.
But veteran wing Rossouw has been around long enough to know that the hidden enemy in many games of this nature is often complacency, as opposed to the visible threat posed by the opposition.
"The test in games of this nature is to keep the same focus you would reserve for the Currie Cup champions. You can't go into the game thinking you can relax because you are up against a weaker side - if you do you can shoot yourself in the foot.
"If we play the way we can and should we will win the game. But if we go in there thinking it will be easy and just try to throw the ball around and score tries without doing the basics and dominating up front, then it could be a long day for us," said the veteran wing.
"They are a team who play a similar game to us and are not scared to run the ball from their own 22. It is not as if they have actually played that badly this year either, but they have struggled on defence," he added.
A quick glance at the Eagles' results this year suggests they do not belong in the Premier Division of the cup. But closer inspection supports Rossouw's assessment of the team.
Last weekend they were ahead against Free State after 55 minutes of play. It was only in the last 25 minutes, when the Cheetahs put 40-plus points on the board, that they self-destructed.
The reigning champion Blue Bulls had to work hard for their win in George while the Eagles also gave a good account of themselves against the Sharks, losing by 14 points in a match which saw them a man down for 20 minutes.
"Teams tend to play above themselves when we come to town as it is always a nice one for them to put on their CV that they beat us," said Rossouw of the Eagles' motivation.
"For most that means trying to disrupt us by messing up our rucks or slowing our ball down. We have to make sure we do not allow them to do that," he added.
Games at Outeniqua Park also tend to have added needle to them with the regional dimension of the Stormers coming into play.
As Rossouw pointed out, "they always feel a little hard done by in the Stormers set-up. So they want to go out and prove a point".
The two Eagles players with every incentive to press their claims in this regard are inspirational captain and No 8 Jaco Gouws and scrumhalf Noel Oelschig.
Both were in the Stormers squad this year where Gouws unveiled his powerful running skills, but Oelschig was barely given the chance to show why he is such a highly rated halfback.
SWD Eagles: Bevin Fortuin, Philip Burger, Altus Meyer, Gavin Hume, Ricardo Pietersen, Donovan Raw, Noel Oelschig, Jaco Gouws (capt), Barry Jacobsz, Kabamba Floors, Randall Julies, Bloues Volschenk, Niel du Toit, Tommie Webb, Connie Botha. Bench: Baksteen Hopp, Eugene Maqwelana, Jaco du Toit, Greg Freeman, Heinie Adams, Willie Nagel, Manie du Toit
Western Province: Gaffie du Toit, Egon Seconds, Robbie Fleck, Jean de Villiers, Pieter Rossouw, Chris Rossouw, Stefan Basson, Hendrik Gerber, Pierre Uys, Pietie Ferreira, Hottie Louw, Quinton Davids, Cobus Visagie, Pieter Dixon, Daan Human. Bench: Martin van Schalkwyk, Eddie Andrews, Rob Linde, Ashley Clarke, Ashieq Wise, Gus Theron, Lean van Dyk
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Kick-off: 3pm (live on SABC2)
Other Currie Cup fixtures on Saturday:
Durban: Natal Sharks v Cheetahs (3pm, SS1)
Witbank: Pumas v Blue Bulls (5.05pm, SS1)