Henry Immelman has been assigned the No 15 jersey, while Cohen Jasper and Carel Jan Coetzee will fill the roles of right wing and outside centre, marked with jersey numbers 14 and 13, respectively. The midfield will see Jooste Nel at inside centre wearing the 12 jersey, with Ethan Wentzel at flyhalf and Rewan Kruger at scrumhalf, donning jerseys 10 and 9.
In a surprising twist, both Faf de Klerk and Jaco van der Walt find themselves benched for this critical match. Up front, the leadership baton has been passed to Victor Sekekete, who will captain the team and feature as the lock, alongside Simon Miller. New blood Frankie Dos Reis and Juan Smal will join the front row, partnering with Tebogo Nkosi.
The Cheetahs are journeying to Kimberley with an impeccable record, having seized maximum points from their triumphs against the Lions and Sharks XV. However, they are up against a Griquas team that has recently secured a bonus-point victory over the Vodacom Bulls XV after an initial defeat to the Stormers XXIII.
"This is our first away game and it will be tough," Steyn noted. "We have a plan, and hopefully the one we have in place will work for us. There is an opportunity for us."
The team list for the Cheetahs is as follows:
- 1. Tebogo Nkosi
- 2. Juan Smal
- 3. Frankie Dos Reis
- 4. Simon Miller
- 5. Victor Sekekete (c)
- 6. Ramon Uys
- 7. Juan Venter
- 8. Neels Volschenk
- 9. Rewan Kruger
- 10. Ethan Wentzel
- 11. Prince Nkabinde
- 12. Jooste Nel
- 13. Carel Jan Coetzee
- 14. Cohen Jasper
- 15. Henry Immelman
Substitutes:
- 16. Marko Janse van Rensburg
- 17. Tielman Niewoudt
- 18. Ben Pitout
- 19. Daniel Maartens
- 20. Sisonke Vumazonke
- 21. Faf de Klerk
- 22. Jaco van der Walt
- 23. Michael Annies
As the Cheetahs gear up for this pivotal match, all eyes will be on the new starters to see if they can maintain the team's unblemished record this season. With strategic changes and strong leadership, the Cheetahs are poised for a battle that could very well define their championship mettle.
