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The Carling Currie Cup moves past the halfway mark this weekend and the fourth round will be sure to deliver loads of action as the teams prepare for a thrilling home stretch with their eyes firmly on semi-final spots.
The Toyota Cheetahs, with a game in hand, are ready to pounce further down on the standings, while the Phakisa Pumas are hanging on by a thread with a mathematical chance of possibly advancing to the semi-finals.
Defending Carling Currie Cup champions, the Toyota Cheetahs will hunt their first win in the competition this season when they line up against a Phakisa Pumas outfit fighting for survival at the Mbombela Stadium tonight.
A victory for the Free Staters would not only reinforce their dominance against the men from Mpumalanga in the competition after suffering only one defeat against them since 2015, but it would also allow them to close the gap on the top four.
The Phakisa Pumas, meanwhile, will enter the match knowing they need to win – and preferably with a bonus point – or their playoff aspirations will take a possible killer blow.
Phakisa Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse tweaked his team, naming the fleet-footed Devon Williams at flyhalf and Etienne Taljaard on the right-wing, which sees Luther Obi move to No 11. The only change in the pack of forwards is at blindside flanker, where Phumzile Maqondwana takes over from Darrien Landsberg.
Toyota Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie named two-time Rugby World Cup-winner Frans Steyn at flyhalf, next to the exciting Ruben de Haas, in a team featuring six changes to the backline.
Howard Mnisi will join forces with Dries Swanepoel, who earns his first start, in the midfield, while Duncan Saal will make his Carling Currie Cup debut for the Toyota Cheetahs on the wing in a duo with William Small-Smith.
Upfront, Marnus van der Merwe has been promoted from the bench and will start at hooker while Carl Wegner and Reniel Hugo have been named at lock.
Teams:
Phakisa Pumas: 15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Etienne Taljaard, 13 Erich Cronje, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Luther Obi, 10 Devon Williams, 9 Chriswill September, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Phumzile Maqondwana, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Pieter Jansen van Vuren (captain), 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Ignatius Prinsloo, 2 Simon Westraadt, 1 Morgan Naude. Replacements: 16 AJ le Roux, 17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Wikus Groenewald, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Ewart Potgieter, 21 Ginter Smuts, 22 Tiaan Botes, 23 Wayne van der Bank.
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Duncan Saal, 13 Dries Swanepoel 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 William Small-Smith, 10 Frans Steyn, 9 Ruben de Haas, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Aidon Davis, 6 Andisa Ntsila, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Carl Wegner (captain), 3 Khutha Mchunu, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Boan Venter. Replacements: 16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Erich de Jager, 19 Oupa Mohoje, 20 Chris Massyn, 21 Tian Meyer, 22 Reinhardt Fortuin, 23 Rhyno Smith.