Naka Drotske has announced a strong team to take on the EP Kings on Friday in the Windy City.
The Cheetahs will travel to Port Elizabeth this week with a brand new lock pairing for their warm-up game against the Southern Kings.
Former Baby Bok Martin Muller and lock acquisition Wilhelm Steenkamp will have to master the visitors’ lineout balls on Friday.
Injuries and experience have prompted the Cheetahs into giving these two “unknowns” a chance before the start of Vodacom Super Rugby.
They are two surprise selections among the Cheetah forwards, for what is expected to be a tough match against the Kings, who beat the Bulls 23-7 last Saturday.
Loose forwards Kabamba Floors and Frans Viljoen are also in the pack, with Ryno Barnes set to play hooker. The Cheetahs announced a team of 24 players for the match.
While he is wearing the No 4 jersey because of injury, Muller may just book his place in the Cheetahs’ final squad with a good performance.
Francois Uys hurt his ankle in training games on Friday, while Izak van der Westhuizen (shoulder operation) and Hendrik Roodt (knee) will only return later.
The promising Muller therefore has a golden opportunity to stake his claim after joining the Cheetahs this year. He was still playing for the University of Cape Town last year.
But the lock, who has represented Western Province at under-19 and under-21 level, has showed enough promise to suggest that he may well be able to stand his ground at senior level.
He made his Stormers debut in 2009, and also played for WP against the British and Irish Lions that year.
The more experienced Steenkamp also gets his chance after impressing in warm-up games.
Cheetahs assistant coach Hawies Fourie said that Uys would be ready for the first game in Super Rugby against the Sharks on 19 February.
Floors will be used as No 8, while Viljoen will wear No 6 after recovering from a heel injury.
THE CHEETAHS TEAM:
Hennie Daniller, Philip Burger/Philip Snyman, Robert Ebersohn, Andries Strauss, Ryno Benjamin, Naas Olivier, Sarel Pretorius, Kabamba Floors, Juan Smith (capt), Frans Viljoen, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Martin Muller, WP Nel, Ryno Barnes, Coenie Oosthuizen.
Substitutes: Skipper Badenhorst, Kobus Calldo, Waltie Vermeulen, Philip van der Walt, Ashley Johnson, Tewis de Bruyn, Sias Ebersohn, Corné Uys, Riaan Viljoen.
To be fair the mighty VRYSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT have only one team to announce.
No luxury like the Bulls have to play a team full of second and third stringers.
This will be interesting to see how the Kings play a strong Super team. This game might shed more light onto the strength of the EP side.
@ Loosehead:
i added more to your post , alright?
Morning Loskoppie, & other underlings lol… Strong Cheetah team, and normally I would agree that they have only one team to announce, but this year they have a bit more depth, and better options.
Riaan Viljoen, Corne Uys, Wilmaure Louw, Barry Geel, Sias Ebersohn, Tewis de Bruyn, Phillip vd Walt, Johan Wessels, Davon Raubenheimer, Hendrik Roodt, Walti Vermeulen, Izak vd Westhuizen, Kevin Stevens, Trevor Ntyakane, Rayno Barnes, Marchelle vd Merwe
Almost enough to start a new team… agreed there is a gap, but it looks decidedly better than last year, especially in the lock factory..
I am keen ly awaiting the 1st match against the Sharks. They look very strong, and if we can do well against them, the Cheetahs tails will be up!!!
Go the Cheetahs
Not a bad Cheetahs side… but then again the Staat is NEVER an easy side to be up against if you’re a South African team.
They can colour these 2 starting locks as good enough but the truth is that they are a bit of a weakness in the side till the lock injuries abate.
By the way, where is Adriaan Strauss at hooker… injured?
Looking at this side and the general depth of the Cheetahs squad, they have a similar problem as the Bulls, Lions, Stormers and Sharks (Sharks maybe lesser so) and that is that in a couple of key positions they are light or have no adequate depth…
I see the situation as follows:
Props – After Wian du Preez & Coenie Oosthuizen they’re a bit light at prop… Calldo is not much of a prop.
Hooker – Sufficient depth
Locks – When the injured locks return they are adequately covered
Loosies – Very good loosies and good depth… they can even afford to bench Ashley Johnson and that alone says quite a bit
Scrummies – After Sarel Pretorius the cupboard is bare because Matewis de Bruin is absolutely shit
Flyhalves – Naas Olivier is mediocre at best and Sias Ebersohn has somehow not broken through top level nicely
Centres – Losing Meyer Bosman but acquiring Andries Strauss was an equal swop, I believe. Robert Ebersohn has failed to impress me as a 15-man game player… he is too light on defence, but there is still Corne Uys. I think the Cheetahs are better off in depth than the Bulls at center.
Wings – Phillip Kakebeen Burger is good and will annoy us with his overdone antics over the tryline this season again and the Cheetahs have acquired enough depth not to feel the loss of Bjorn Basson too much.
Fullback – Hennie Danniller is rock steady and Riaan Viljoen adds proper depth, no problem.
So, in summation, there is a quality problem at flyhalf, a depth problem at scrummie and at prop… but that’s about it.
Good strong squad!
@5 GBS, Good assessment of the team. Adriaan Strauss got hitched and is on honeymoon practising his put ins!! Ooops soory he is a hooker lol.
Agree with Calldo, but I am keen to see the u21 props Marchelle and Trevor, and also that Kevin Stevenson
Flyhalf remains a crisis for me, Naas Olivier is ok, but we need a qualy flyhalf to ignite a bckline that has failed to play the normal Cheetah brand of rugby
I think Ebersohn will flourish with a staunch crash tackler like strauss on his inside, he used to be very good on defence, and often ripped the ball from his opponent, hope he can realise his potential this year
Lol, jip, you gotta love kakebeen if you are a Cheetah, and he is an absolute pain if you are not, but he is a delight to watch when given a sniff of space…
Can’t wait for the serious games to begin, I think alot of perceptions will be blown apart.
Sharks look very well set, Stormers hmmmm dunno, think they will still carry the powder puff scrum tag, Bulls will be brutal as always and with their A team on song will be contenders, but yes, there are glaring defeciencies in back up, Lions are investing, and will trouble many sides, but will they gel as a team timeously for the start of S15??
As for the Cheetahs they will do better than last year, but will still suffer once the inevitable injury toll starts
Never the less….. Go Cheetahs!!!
6@ Cheetah4eva:
Thanks for agreeing with me, I believe one has to give credit where due and also be able to see the deficiencies in your own Franchise of choice.
So, as a Bulls supporter I must be able to assess the Bulls objectively, see their mistakes and lack of depth in certain positions, which I really do.
I see you see things in a similar manner.
What worries me though is the inability of some here on R-T and elsewhere who simply seem not to WANT TO SEE deficiencies in their squads… had this yesterday again come to the fore.
The SA Super Rugby squads seem to be more balanced, all 5 of them, this year…. and it’s going to be hard battles all round in the SA Derbies this season, no easy rides, no guarantees of performing.
It all boils down to Franchise motivational levels, fitness, the quality of coaching staff and whether the gods are kind in not too many injuries in key positions resulting for a Franchise or 3.
This year it is bloody important to finish top of the Conference, to have an easier ride into the play-offs and what follows.
The warm-ups makes it difficult to assess a Franchise’s real potential, case in point, the Bulls last year had a very kak warm-up run, but eventually took the title very well.
@ superBul:
Cool.
@ Cheetah4eva:
uuum, in an effort to stay objective, in which world does a fwd pack with Blaauw, CJ, Liebenberg, van Zyl, Burber and Vermeulen, to name but a few, deserve the tag of powder puffs?
thank you very much
@greenpoint gunner only in the cape can blaau in die gesig be rated as top class cj has 5 reverse gears only one in the cape that means anything is tiaan the rest are all has beens and never were’s especialy fransie flou bwahahahahahahahahah 🙂
@ smallies72:
Dont worry, I didn’t even mention Francois Louw… so its ok. And then Van Zyl, Burger and Vermeulen? All lig in the pants as well I suppose.
Any news on the Kings team?
Was that their strongest they played against the Bulls?
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