The Toyota Cheetahs travel to Cape Town this weekend to face the DHL Stormers XXIII on Sunday, 9 August, at Athlone Stadium. Kick-off is at 15:00 SAST.
Three points separate the top five sides, with the Fidelity ADT Lions leading on 12 points, followed by Suzuki Griquas and the Toyota Cheetahs on 11, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers on 10, and the DHL Stormers XXIII on nine.
Reflecting on last week's performance, the head coach of the Toyota Cheetahs, Frans Steyn, said there were encouraging signs despite the disappointment of not securing the result.
"It's never nice to lose. We have a lot to fix, but we'll keep working hard. Hopefully we can get the win this weekend.
“The team showed that they're prepared to fight until the very end. We've come a long way, and you could see that last weekend. I'm proud of the effort, but disappointed that we couldn't get the win. There is still plenty we need to improve, but the gaps between the players are getting smaller, and that's a positive for us.”
“We have props who are only 21 and 23 years old. The only way they'll learn is by playing and experiencing these situations. I see massive talent in this squad, and that's exciting. From the beginning, we've committed to backing these young players, and we need to continue to do so. There aren't many 21-year-olds who could go to Kimberley and hold their own in a scrum in such a physical, emotional game."
Toyota Cheetahs captain, Neels Volschenk, believes the team continues to move in the right direction as the Carling Currie Cup reaches its halfway stage.
"For us, success is about being better than we were the previous week in every aspect of our game. Playing against the Stormers is a massive challenge. The character the team showed in fighting back against Griquas demonstrated how much this group has grown over the past year. We never go into a game simply to compete; we go out to win, and the confidence the players gained from that performance will stand us in good stead."
Steyn has made several changes to the side for Sunday's encounter.
In the forwards, Marko Janse van Rensburg returns to the starting lineup, with Juan Smal moving to the bench to provide impact.
Among the backs, Faf de Klerk returns to the starting XV. The midfield combination consists of Zander du Plessis and Marco Jansen van Vuren, while Cohen Jasper and Jooste Nel provide cover among the replacements.
On the wing, Michael Annies starts on the right, while Clayton Blommetjies replaces the injured Henry Immelman at fullback.
Toyota Cheetahs: 1 Tebogo Nkosi, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 4 Simon Miller, 5 Victor Sekekete, 6 Ramon Uys, 7 Juan Venter, 8 Neels Volschenk, 9 Faf de Klerk. 10 Ethan Wentzel, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 12 Zander du Plessis, 13 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 14 Michael Annies, 15 Clayton Blommetjies. Replacements: 16 Juan Smal, 17 Tielman Niewoudt, 18 Aranos Coetzee, 19 Curtly Thomas, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Sisonke Vumazonke, 22 Cohen Jasper, 23 Jooste Nel.
Match Officials
Players unavailable due to injury: Arno van der Merwe (hamstring), Pierre Uys (back), Vice Hofmeyr (shoulders), Ntokozo Makhaza (knee), Louis van der Westhuizen (ankle), John-Kelly Okonkwo (ankle), Gideon van der Merwe (lower leg), Munier Hartzenberg (knee) and Henry Immelman (knee), Ben Pitout (shoulder) and Jaco van der Walt (groin).