The Toyota Cheetahs travelled to France this week, where they will face RC Toulon, a giant in world rugby, on Saturday, 1 April. Kick-off at Stade Felix Mayol in Toulon at 13:30 (SA Time).
“The three weeks of Currie Cup were important to give all the players game time and to select the right players for this match.” Said Coach Hawies Fourie.
“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.”
This past weekend, Frans Steyn sustained a knee injury in the Currie Cup match against the Vodacom Bulls.
“We are used to playing away (in EPCR 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.”
Toyota 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. Replacements: 16. Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17. Alulutho Tshakweni, 18. Conraad van Vuuren Nqobisizwe Mxoli, 19. Mzwanele Zito, 20. Siba Qoma, 21. Daniel Maartens, 22. Rewan Kruger, 23. Cohen Jasper.