Naka Drotské announces Free State Cheetahs squad for weekend encounter against Natal Sharks – Rugby News
South African provincial Rugby Union side, Free State Cheetahs’ head coach, Naka Drotské, has announced his match day 22 for the upcoming 2011 ABSA Currie Cup encounter against the Natal Sharks.
Sharks are the defending champions of the Currie Cup and they finished second in the Currie Cup table courtesy of their impressive bonus point victory over the table leaders, Lions. The five
points from the match have helped Sharks to win a home semi-final in the South African domestic Rugby Union competition.
Drotské has made three changes in the Free State Cheetahs squad for their upcoming encounter, as compared to their squad which took the field against the Griquas in their last round match during
the last weekend. Cheetahs’ bonus point win over the Griquas with a final scorecard reading 49 – 39, has helped them to finish third in the table and to secure a place in the play offs of the competition.
Among the changes, Drotské has included Cheetahs’ young and talented fly half Johan Goosen in at the fly half position. Goosen comes in the starting xv at the expense of the Tewis de Bruyn,
who is dropped to the bench for the Saturday’s encounter.
Goosen has delivered exceptional performances for Cheetahs in the ongoing Currie Cup competition, before he sustained a head concussion injury during their encounter against the Lions on October
1. He returns to the starting xv, after gaining complete fitness.
In other changes, Ryno Barnes will start the match at the winger position in the starting lineup in place of Nico Scheepers. Scheepers will start the match from the bench. Philip van der
Walt has replaced Francois Uys in the squad. Uys is still to recover from his rib injury, which he sustained earlier.
Cheetahs’ squad announced for their Currie Cup’s semifinal encounter against the Natal Sharks consists of,
Starting XV: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Ryno Benjamin, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Cameron Jacobs, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Boom Prinsloo, 7 Ashley Johnson,
6 Pieter Labuschagne, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Philip van der Walt, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (c), 1 Marcel van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Johan Wessels, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Nico Scheepers.
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