The Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has named a solid line up to take on the Leopards in the opening round of the Currie Cup this weekend, with Andries Strauss being selected as captain in the absence of Adriaan Strauss.
Sias Ebersohn will be looking to continue in the fine form he showed in the latter half of the Super Rugby season, and will be pushed by Baby Boks pivot Johan Goosen during the Currie Cup.
Springbok sevens star Boom Prinsloo is also back in the 15-man game and has the opportunity to prove his worth in the No.8 jersey on Saturday.
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Riaan Smit, 13 Corné Uys, 12 Andries Strauss (captain), 11 Rayno Benjamin, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Tewis de Bruyn, 8 Boom Prinsloo, 7 Pieter Labuschagné, 6 Johan Wessels, 5 Waltie Vermeulen, 4 Francois Uys, 3 WP Nel, 2 Michael van Vuuren, 1 Marcel van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 PW van Vuuren, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Izak van der Westhuizen, 19 Pieter Myburgh, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Philip Snyman, 22 Philip Burger.
Robert Ebersohn? Training with the Sharks already?
@Ben (Comment 1) : Nice tough game for you okes first up.
@speartackle (Comment 2) : Yeah tell me about it!
@Ben (Comment 1) : good question. where is he?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 4) : Hy surf…
@Ice (Comment 5) :
Didn’t Robert Ebersohn limp off injured against the Stormers
I hope this game is televised. I want to see Marcel vd Merwe and Riaan Smit in action.
looking at this squad, I can’t honestly say I see the Cheetahs being strong favourites for the Currie Cup title
@robdylan (Comment 9) : Yip, they have lost very few players and those were lost to the griquas.
As in 2007. The Sharks and Bulls won the RWC, the Cheetahs won the CC.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 10) : well, I guess every team is gonna have young props…
@KSA Shark © (Comment 12) :
Now I need a Leopards team!
FS and Lions are gonna be the teams to beat in the early stages at least.
Lets hope we can keep up with them untill we get some big guns back! If we get anyone back at all that is . . .
@Original Pierre (Comment 14) : Well for the sake of the Sharks players with the Boks lets hope they all go to the World Cup however we defiantly want a couple of them back for the Shark’s sake
@Ben (Comment 1) : Ebersohn? Ebersohn? Ebersohn? I hope he is coming to the Sharks!
Also anyone know why Johan Goosen wasn’t included on the bench? The blog says Sias will be “hard pushed” by Johan, yet Johan doesn’t even get a bench spot (and against the Leopards).
@beet (Comment 7) : Yes he did though he didn’t seem to think that it was too serious.