Cheetahs tweak pack for Italian test

Bloemfontein - Cheetahs coach Franco Smith has named his team for Saturday's PRO14 clash against Italian side Zebre at the Free State Stadium.

Smith made a few changes to his forward pack that beat the Southern Kings 24-17 in Port Elizabeth last Friday.

In the second row, Sintu Manjezi and Walt Steenkamp move to the starting line up, with Justin Basson and JP du Preez providing cover on the bench.  

In the loose trio, Gerhard Oliver moves to No 8 and Junior Pokomela to No 6 flank.

Abongile Nonkontwana starts in the No 7 jersey with Niell Jordaan providing cover on the bench.  

The Cheetahs have won four of their five clashes against Italian sides since joining the PRO14 and have only lost once in their last four games.

But the hosts are wary of Zebre, who are determined to bounce back from a six-match losing run. The two sides have met three times already, with the Cheetahs winning all the encounters.

The Cheetahs' superior attacking form has seen them score 18 more tries than the Italians despite playing one less match this season, which they will look to build on. However, they will enter the match knowing that the visitors have conceded four fewer tries.

"It is going to be an exciting match. If we allow them to play their brand of rugby, we can expect it to be difficult," Cheetahs captain Tian Meyer said.

Kick-off for Saturday's clash is scheduled for 15:00.

Teams:

Cheetahs

15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Nico Lee, 11 Rabs Maxwane, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Tian Meyer (captain), 8 Gerhard Olivier, 7 Abongile Nonkontwana, 6 Junior Pokomela, 5 Walt Steenkamp, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ox Nche

Substitutes: 16 Reinach Venter, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Luan de Bruin, 19 Justin Basson, 20 JP du Preez, 21 Niell Jordaan, 22 Shaun Venter, 23 Louis Fouche

Zebre

TBA