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Cheetahs to dig deep against French giants

By @rugby365com
Friday 12 Dec 2025

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Cheetahs coach Frans Steyn was forced to make some minor changes to his side that will face Stade Franҫais in Amsterdam on Saturday.

This will be the first encounter between these two teams in any competition.

In the starting line-up, Juan Venter replaces Victor Sekekete, who returned home due to a facial fracture and concussion. Daniel Maartens will play in the No.6 jersey, and Pierre Uys moves to No.7.

George Lourens joined the squad in Amsterdam to replace Jaco van der Walt (hamstring), and De-an Ackermann moves to 12 to replace Zander du Plessis (groin).

Van der Walt and Du Plessis returned to South Africa as a precaution to ensure they’re fully fit for the Challenge Cup fixtures in January. Munier Hartzenberg will wear the number 13 jersey, and Cohen Jasper is the right wing.

The Cheetahs will look to build on their second-half showing against the Exeter Chiefs last week, which limited the English side to only one try after the break despite suffering a defeat, when they line up against Stade Francais.

The Free Staters will have to be much more effective on defence and use their chances on attack to keep alive their hopes of securing a victory against the French outfit, who registered a convincing win against Cardiff last week, and who are currently in fourth place on the Top 14 table after winning six of their 11 matches this season.

Coach Frans Steyn said: “Stade Franҫais will definitely be an imposing force this weekend, but I’m confident in our team. We adapted well to the game’s pace in the second half against Exeter.

“We know what is expected of us, what the pace is going to be, and hopefully we can put up a good performance this weekend.”

Cheetahs: 15 Michael Annies, 14 Cohen Jasper, 13 Munier Hartzenberg, 12 De-an Ackermann, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 George Lourens, 9 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 8 Gideon van der Merwe, 7 Pierre Uys, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Juan Venter, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Louis van der Westhuizen (captain), Cameron Dawson
Replacements: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17. Matome Manyama, 18. Frankie Dos Reis, 19.Curtley Thomas, 20. Sisonke Vumazonke, 21. Neels Volschenk, 22. Jandré Nel, 23. Clayton Blommetjies

Date: Saturday, December 13
Venue: NRCA Stadium, Amsterdam
Kick-off: 15.00 (17.00 GMT; 16.00 CET)
Referee: Sara Cox (Eng)
Assistant referees: Christophe Ridley (Eng) & Jonathan Healy (Eng)
TMO: Dean Richards (Eng)

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