Half-ton for Cheetahs' returning Boks
Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen returns to the Free State Cheetahs team for their decisive Currie Cup encounter with Western Province at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
The 23-year-old, who had struggled with a neck injury since the June Tests against England and only recently returned to action, will make his 50th Currie Cup appearance for the Cheetahs.
He is one of two Boks returning to the Cheetahs' starting XV for the trip to Newlands.
Oosthuizen will play at tighthead, in the place of Ross Geldenhuys, who drops down to the bench.
Bok vice-captain and hooker Adriaan Strauss returns and takes over the Cheetahs' captaincy. Hercu Liebenberg, who stood in in the No.2 jersey while Strauss was on international duty, also drops to the bench.
Strauss will also be playing in his 50th Currie Cup match for the Cheetahs.
It will be his 53rd game for the Cheetahs and his 32nd as captain of the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup.
Coach Naka Drotské was forced to make another change, with Pieter Labuschagné ruled out through concussion suffered against the Sharks last week. Veteran Bok Hendro Scholtz, who was called out of retirement recently amidst a loose forward crisis in Bloemfontein, returns to the starting XV.
Free State Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Nico Scheepers, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Francois Uys, 6 Hendro Scholtz, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Marcel van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Ross Geldenhuys, 18 Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Philip Snyman, 22 Ryno Benjamin.
Date: Saturday, October 13
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 17.05.(15.05)
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Assistant referees: Marius Jonker, Linston Manuels
TMO: Deon van Blommestein
