Share

Le Roux gets Cheetahs chance

Cape Town - Cheetahs fullback Willie le Roux has been included in their starting line-up for the pre-season clash against the Bulls in Polokwane.

Le Roux, who has impressed as a substitute in pre-season games so far this year, is one of several changes from the team that beat a second string Stormers outfit at Newlands last week.

Le Roux, winger Rayno Benjamin, centre Philip Snyman, flank Ashley Johnson and prop Trevor Nyakane will all start on Saturday. They were not in the starting XV against the Stormers.

The Bulls are expected to pick their best team, which has prompted the Cheetahs to give Le Roux his big chance against quality opposition.

Cheetahs backline coach Hawies Fourie says he knows what he has in incumbent fullback Hennie Daniller and therefore wants to test the 22-year-old Le Roux.

"Willie has thus far mostly got a chance as a substitute and played for Boland in last year's Currie Cup First Division.

"We want to give him a chance against real Super-opponents.

"Hennie played really well. We want to test Willie at a higher level and see how he handles it," Fourie told the Volksblad newspaper.

Snyman and Benjamin also get their chance after so far mostly playing as substitutes or against weak opposition.

"There's big rivalry at wing and centre and we want to see what they do against better players.

Snyman competes with Andries Strauss for the No 12 jersey, while Benjamin and Dusty Noble compete for a spot on the wing.

Springbok Johnson will also get a chance at flank, instead of playing at eightman.

On Friday, the Cheetahs will also play with a so-called "B-team" against the Bulls' second stringers in Pretoria. Fourie said they will use 25 players for this clash.

Teams: (For Saturday in Polokwane)

Bulls:

TBA

Cheetahs: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Ryno Benjamin, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Philip Snyman, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Davon Raubenheimer, 7 Ashley Johnson, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Trevor Nyakane.

Substitutes: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Lourens Adriaanse, 18 Francois Uys, 19 Philip van der Walt, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Hennie Daniller, 23 Andries Strauss.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1813 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1769 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1075 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 457 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 185 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE