Bloemfontein – Springbok sevens player Boom Prinsloo will earn his first Super Rugby cap for the Cheetahs in their last encounter of the competition against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
Prinsloo, who represented South Africa at the Sevens World Series tournaments in Hong Kong, Las Vegas and New Zealand this season, starts at the back of the scrum in place of the injured Justin Downey.
Downey dislocated a finger in the Cheetahs' 13-6 defeat against the Stormers last week and is expected to be sidelined for nearly two months.
In other injury-enforced changes made by Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske, Philip Snyman has been included on the wing in place of Cameron Jacobs, while Griquas scrum-half Jacques Coetzee has been named on the bench after Tewis de Bruyn pulled out due to a groin strain.
Drotske has also bolstered his reserves with a familiar face, with former vice-captain and centre Andries Strauss filling Snyman's void and supplying back-up.
The Cheetahs are playing for pride in Durban and captain Adriaan Strauss said on Wednesday they would look to end the competition on a high.
“We couldn't do that against the Stormers, but we will definitely be up for it against the Sharks,” Strauss said.
Cheetahs team: Willie le Roux, Nico Scheepers, Robert Ebersohn, Barry Geel, Philip Snyman, Riaan Smit, Piet van Zyl, Boom Prinsloo, Lappies Labuschagne, Heinrich Brussow, Izak van der Westhuizen, Andries Ferreira, WP Nel, Adriaan Strauss (captain), Trevor Nyakane. Replacements: Hercu Liebenberg, Marcel van der Merwe, Waltie Vermeulen, Ashley Johnson, Jacques Coetzee, Sias Ebersohn, Andries Strauss. – Sapa