Robert Ebersohn will start at inside centre for the Cheetahs, in place of the injured Frans Steyn, to face Toulon in the Challenge Cup in France on Saturday.
Steyn was not included in a 25-man touring squad that departed SA to face the French giants, and Ebersohn comes in for the veteran Springbok playmaker as the notable change to the starting XV by Hawies Fourie for the round of 16 clash at Stade Mayol.
Toulon were last year’s Challenge Cup losing finalists against Lyon, and boast dangerous and experienced players like Dan Biggar, Mathieu Bastareaud and Charles Ollivon, as well as SA-born Cornell du Preez and Waisea Nayacalevu from Fiji.
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“The three weeks of Currie Cup were important to give all the players game time and to select the right players for this match,” Fourie said.
“We’ll definitely miss a valuable player and kicker like Frans Steyn. Still, we’ve planned accordingly, and the responsible players have done it before and have the confidence to do what is required.
“We are used to playing away [in the Challenge Cup] and adapting to the conditions quickly. It is still cold here, but the forecast for Saturday is for no rain, but strong winds are expected. We’ll have to adapt and adjust quickly on Saturday.
“Toulon has a quality team, and it will be a big ask and much tougher than the previous rounds. We expect to play against their best side. We’ve braced ourselves for that and have to play confidently and believe in what we do.”
Picks: @mark_keohane and Zels predict a Toulon thrashing for the Cheetahs in the Challenge Cup on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/ntn3mh44nB
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) March 30, 2023
Cheetahs – 15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 David Brits, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 Munier Hartzenberg, 10 Reinhardt Fortuin, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Victor Sekekete (c), 4 Rynier Bernardo, 3 Hencus van Wyk, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Subs 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Nqobisizwe Mxoli, 19 Mzwanele Zito, 20 Siba Qoma, 21 Daniel Maartens, 22 Rewan Kruger, 23 Cohen Jasper.
Photo: Fred Porcu/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix