Lee Warren

Heinrich Brussow will return to rugby this week, although he will be playing Vodacom Cup and not Super 15.

The South African rugby fraternity will be keeping close tabs on proceedings in Bloemfontein on Friday as two of the most influential players in the country will be playing in their first matches of the season.

In a curtain raising Vodacom Cup match between the Free State Cheetahs and the Valke, specialist fetcher Heinrich Brussow will make his long-awaited return to the field, while in the Super 15 contest between the Cheetahs and Bulls, Juan Smith will be back after missing the first week’s action due to a calf strain.

Both of these men are considered specialists in their field and their performances are of great interest to both the province and the country.

Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske said on Thursday that the match fitness of Brussow, in particular, will be of great importance for their campaign aspirations.

“Heinrich has been out of action for almost a year and will play 40 minutes of Vodacom Cup rugby which will allow us to assess exactly where he is in terms of the requirements to play at Super Rugby level,” said Drotske.

“If he passes with flying colours, we will make an assessment next week on whether or not to select him for our match against the Stormers.”

Drotske said he is satisfied with his team’s preparations this week and that they need no reminder of how important it is to win their matches at home.

“We have a proud history at home and would like to maintain that, so we will be hoping for good overhead conditions which will allow for good running rugby,” he said.

Having entered the competition with the knowledge that depth in personnel will be crucial, the Cheetahs suffered a huge setback when Springbok hooker Adriaan Strauss fractured his hand in last week’s opening match against the Shark in Durban.

Strauss was replaced by Griquas stalwart Ryno Barnes with veteran Skipper Badenhorst taking his place on the bench.

Smith – a player who was one of few Springboks that lived up to expectations in 2010 – will take over as captain.

“Losing him (Strauss) for six weeks is a huge setback as he is a quality player and his throw-ins at the lineout were very good against the Sharks.

“With that said, his injury gives Ryno a chance to prove his worth and we hope he can deliver on the day,” said Drotske

He also said he was pleased with the way Wilhelm Steenkamp, understudy to Bulls' captain Victor Matfield, had slotted into the Free State squad so far and added that he expected great things from the young second-row forward.

“He (Steenkamp) was another player who had a good game last week and we are looking forward to seeing how he fares against a world class player like Victor at the set-piece.”

Teams: Cheetahs: Hennie Daniller, Philip Burger, Robert Ebersohn, Andries Strauss, Ryno Benjamin, Naas Olivier, Sarel Pretorius, Kabamba Floors, Juan Smith (c), Frans Viljoen, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Waltie Vermeulen, WP Nel, Ryno Barnes, Coenie Oosthuizen. Replacements: Skipper Badenhorst, Kobus Calldo, Francois Uys, Ashley Johnson, Tewis de Bruyn, Sias Ebersohn, Riaan Viljoen.

Bulls: Team: Zane Kirchner, Gerhard van den Heever, Jaco Pretorius, Wynand Olivier, Bjorn Basson, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Victor Matfield (c), Bakkies Botha, Werner Kruger, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Gurthro Steenkamp. Bench: Derick Kuun, Rossouw de Klerk, Flip van der Merwe, Danie Rossouw, Ruan Snyman, Francois Brummer, Stephan Dippenaar. – Sapa