Cheetahs head coach Frans Steyn turns to a journeyman fullback making his long-awaited return from injury for Saturday’s SA Cup clash against the Border Bulldogs.

James Verity-Amm starts at No 15 for the Cheetahs after nearly a year on the sidelines in round 8 of the competition at Free State Stadium.

The 30-year-old, who previously played for the Force, Brumbies, Griquas and Vodacom Bulls, suffered a potentially career-threatening knee injury against the SWD Eagles in April last year.

Meanwhile, Victor Sekekete takes over the captaincy as the third-placed Free Staters make several changes following their 59-17 demolition of the Valke last week.

SA CUP: It’s all business in playoff bun fight

Pierre-Raymond Uys moves to the bench with Sisonke Vumazonke starting at blindside flanker, while Andisa Ntsila comes in at openside. Up front, veteran Schalk Ferreira packs down at loosehead with Vernon Paulo at hooker.

The bench features significant backline reinforcements with Namibian international Tiaan Swanepoel joining Rewan Kruger and Carel-Jan Coetzee as impact options.

Players not available for selection due to injury are Gideon van der Merwe (ankle), Ethan Wentzel (back), Munier Hartzenberg, Franco Smith (both hamstring), Andell Loubser (hip), Litha Nkula (thigh) and Clayton Blommetjies (calf).

Despite facing the bottom-placed Bulldogs, the Cheetahs will guard against complacency as they aim to consolidate their playoff position with another home victory in Bloemfontein.

CHEETAHS – 15 James Verity-Amm, 14 Prince Nkabinde, 13 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Michael Annies, 10 George Lourens, 9 Jandre Nel, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Sisonke Vumazonke, 6 Andisa Ntsila, 5 Victor Sekekete (c), 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Vernon Paulo, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Bench: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Banele Mthenjane, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Pieter Jansen van Vuren, 20 Pierre-Raymond Uys, 21 Tiaan Swanepoel, 22 Rewan Kruger, 23 Carel-Jan Coetzee.

Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images