The Free State Cheetahs host the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers this afternoon at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein at 15:00 SAST.
Playoff seeding implications are massive heading into the final two rounds of the regular season. A Cheetahs victory virtually guarantees them a playoff place. It also keeps them in contention for a crucial home semi-final.
Boland have established themselves as one of the stronger teams of the season. Their impressive 38-29 away victory over the Lions last weekend moved them to fourth on the table. That win keeps them firmly in the semi-final positions.
An upset by the Cavaliers in Bloemfontein could secure their top-four finish. Simultaneously, a Boland win would heavily dent the Cheetahs' hopes of finishing first overall.
The Kavaliers won last year’s thrilling meeting 37-35 in Wellington. However, the Free Staters hold the edge in form over their respective previous five games in all competitions.
Expect a fierce clash of styles as Boland head coach Hawies Fourie returns to his former home ground. The Cheetahs will look to play fast, expansive rugby, while Boland aims to disrupt them with deep tactical kicking.
Rugby analysts and pundits lean heavily toward a tight, high-scoring contest. Most analysts predict a Cheetahs home victory by a margin of 6 to 12 points, though they warn that Boland’s knack for close-margin games makes a late backdoor cover highly possible.
Teams:
Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Michael Annies, 13 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 12 Zander du Plessis, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 Tiaan Swanepoel, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Neels Volschenck (c), 7 Sisonke Vumazonke, 6 Ramon Uys, 5 Victor Sekekete, 4 Simon Muller, 3 Frankie Dos Reis, 2 Juan Smal, 1 Tebogo Nkosi. Replacements: 16 Stefan Venter, 17 Dux Manyama, 18 John-Kelly Okonkwo, 19 Arno van der Merwe, 20 Pierre Uys, 21 Rewan Kruger, 22 Cohen Jasper, 23 Jooste Nel
Sanlam Boland Cavaliers: 15 Domenic Smit, 14 Cornell Engelbrecht, 13 Lunathi Nxele, 12 Chris Smit, 11 Jayden Bantom, 10 Ashlon Davids, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Sibusiso Sangweni, 7 Kwanda Dimaza, 6 Gift Dlamini, 5 Marlyn Williams, 4 Johnré Stopforth, 3 Heiko Pohlmann, 2 Joshua Eras, 1 Alistair Vermaak. Replacements: 16 Sidney Tobias, 17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Mthokozisi Gumede, 19 Jeandre Leonard, 20 Michael Benadie, 21 Thurlow Marsh, 22 Bentley Geldenhuys, 23 James Tedder.