Toyota Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has kept faith in the starting team that dispatched the Brumbies in Bloemfontein last week, making just two changes to his bench for this weekend’s away clash with the Stormers.
Renier Botha (scrumhalf) and Waltie Vermeuelen (lock) are the unlucky players to miss out this week, with a pair fresh from Griquas’ Vodacom Cup Final triumph picked to replace them. Westville old boy Tian Mayer comes in for his first taste of Super Rugby as a Cheetah, while Hilton Lobberts – who last played Super Rugby for the Stormers some five years ago – also comes into the picture.
Meyer has previous Super Rugby experience with the Lions, whom he represented in 2012 and has also been on the bench for the Sharks at this level, without earning a cap.
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Rayno Benjamin, 11 Willie le Roux, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Boom Prinsloo, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Willem Serfontein, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Caylib Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Maks van Dyk, 19 Hilton Lobberts, 20 Carel Greeff, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Elgar Watts, 23 Riaan Smit.
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Can they win two in a row?
@JD (Comment 1) : I think so.
Hilton The Wild Thing Lobberts!
@vanmartin (Comment 2) : don’t think tey will beable to beat them away from home, maybe if the game was in Bloem.
@JD (Comment 4) : I have a soft spot for the Cheetahs so take everything I say with a grain of salt. It’s not that Stormers are walkovers or anything but their injury situation is disruptive. If the Stormers revert to a running game (which they seem to favour these days) my feeling is that the Cheetahs are more experienced at that kind of game-plan. I guess it largely depends on what type of Cheetahs team pitches up on the day. If they come to play they may just surprise the Stormers.
@vanmartin (Comment 5) : yes they’re almost like the French. I also hope they beat the Stormers but don’t think they will away from Bloem.