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Cape Town - The Free State Cheetahs could pick a few of their PRO14 stars for Saturday’s Currie Cup clash against the Golden Lions in Johannesburg.
Both teams will be fighting for a semi-final spot in the final round of regular season action.
The Free Staters are currently third on the log standings with 31 log points, but the Lions are hot on their heels in fourth spot with 30 points.
The winner of Saturday’s match at Ellis Park will book a spot in the playoffs, with the loser likely to miss out.
Free State have struggled in the Currie Cup of late, with their frontline players featuring for the Cheetahs in the PRO14.
However, there is no PRO14 action for the next two weeks, with the Cheetahs’ next fixture scheduled for October 28 (away) against Italian side Zebre.
This allows the opportunity for some of the PRO14 players to feature in the Currie Cup.
According to Netwerk24, the Free State side will be bolstered by a few PRO14 players for Saturday’s trip to Johannesburg.
Francois Venter is expected to take over the captaincy from Chris Dry, while Torsten van Jaarsveld is also expected to start at hooker.
Springbok wing Raymond Rhule could also be considered if he recovers from an ankle injury, even though Blitzbok Rosko Specman has performed well for the Cheetahs.
Sergeal Petersen could start at fullback, while left wing Makazole Mapimpi will be a welcome Currie Cup boost for the defending champions.
The Lions, meanwhile, will also welcome the return of Springboks Malcolm Marx (hooker), Ruan Dreyer (prop), Ross Cronje (scrumhalf), Courtnall Skosan (wing) and Andries Coetzee (fullback).
Kick-off on Saturday is at 17:15.
