Faf de Klerk returns to the Cheetahs starting XV for Sunday’s Currie Cup clash against the Stormers XXIII, with coach Frans Steyn also reshuffling his midfield and back three.
The Free Staters head to Cape Town’s Athlone Stadium looking to strengthen their position in a tightly contested title race. Just three points separate the top five teams, with the Cheetahs third on the log, two points ahead of the fifth-placed Stormers.
Steyn has made several changes to the side that narrowly lost to defending champions Griquas in Kimberley last week. Marko Janse van Rensburg returns at hooker, while De Klerk replaces Rewan Kruger at scrumhalf.
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The midfield features Zander du Plessis and Marco Jansen van Vuren, Michael Annies comes in on the right wing and Clayton Blommetjies replaces the injured Henry Immelman at fullback.
Cohen Jasper and Jooste Nel provide backline cover from the bench, while Neels Volschenk takes over the captaincy from Victor Sekekete.
Despite last week’s defeat, Steyn believes the Cheetahs are making encouraging progress.
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“It’s never nice to lose. We have a lot to fix, but we’ll keep working hard. Hopefully we can get the win this weekend,” he said.
Volschenk added: “Playing against the Stormers is a massive challenge. The character the team showed in fighting back against Griquas demonstrated how much this group has grown over the past year.”
CHEETAHS – 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Michael Annies, 13 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 12 Zander du Plessis, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 Ethan Wentzel, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Neels Volschenk (c), 7 Juan Venter, 6 Ramon Uys, 5 Victor Sekekete, 4 Simon Miller, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 1 Tebogo Nkosi.
Bench: 16 Juan Smal, 17 Tielman Niewoudt, 18 Aranos Coetzee, 19 Curtly Thomas, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Sisonke Vumazonke, 22 Cohen Jasper, 23 Jooste Nel.
Photo: @CheetahsRugby/X
The post Faf back at 9 for Cheetahs’ Cape battle appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Faf de Klerk returns to the Cheetahs starting XV for Sunday’s Currie Cup clash against the Stormers XXIII, with coach Frans Steyn also reshuffling his midfield and back three.
The post Faf back at 9 for Cheetahs’ Cape battle appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
