Bloemfontein – Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské has left his side unchanged for their third Super Rugby encounter and first overseas game against the Melbourne Rebels on Friday.
After some solid momentum was gained in their second game against the Bulls – the Cheetahs beat them for the first time in Super Rugby history last weekend – it was not surprising that the coach stuck with his winning outfit.
“We haven't seen much of the Rebels, but we believe that we need to stick with those players that came to the party against the Bulls,” Drotské said.
“We need to do well on our overseas tour and to do that we need to start well.
“The Rebels are going to be a huge challenge, mainly because there is no video footage to go by with regards to preparation.”
Cheetahs team: Willie le Roux, Cornal Hendricks, Johann Sadie, Francois Venter, Raymond Rhule, Johan Goosen, Shaun Venter, Philip van der Walt, Lappies Labuschagne, Boom Prinsloo, Francois Uys, Lood de Jager, Coenie Oosthuizen, Adriaan Strauss (captain), Caylib Oosthuizen.
Replacements: Ryno Barnes, Trevor Nyakane, Maks van Dyk, Ligtoring Landman, Jean Cook, Sarel Pretorius, Elgar Watts, Hennie Daniller. – Sapa.