The Cheetahs have made five changes to their team for the must-win game, which will once again be played in Amsterdam.

Up front, Daniel Maartens and Friedle Olivier will start at flank, replacing the injured Gideon van der Merwe and Oupa Mohoje. In the second row, former Griquas captain Pieter Janse van Vuren will start at lock in the place of the injured Carl Wegner.

Victor Sekekete. Photo: Morgan Piek

In the front row, Hencus van Wyk, who is contracted to play both loosehead and tighthead, will start in the number one jersey following Schalk Ferreira’s late injury during training earlier in the week.

The only changes to the backline, which played in the defeat to Cardiff in Wales, see Prince Nkabinde starting on the wing again, while Cohen Jasper moves to the bench. For the Cheetahs to remain in contention to advance to the knockout rounds for a third straight season, a win in the Dutch capital is non-negotiable.

Cheetahs captain Victor Sekekete told OFM Sport they must convert their chances into points and take every opportunity to score.

“That was the big lesson learned for us – one of the biggest things is us taking the points,” said Sekekete.

“We have to score when we get there. We created a lot of opportunities, but we didn’t get over the line. So, I think our biggest learning from the Perpignan game, especially the Cardiff one, is that we need to score tries so that it’s easier for the team.”

This will also mean the young flyhalf Ethan Wentzel will have to ensure that he has his kicking boots on for the game. He is a proven match-winner with the boot and during pressure moments. It will be important for him to regain that belief which saw slotting the winning penalty for the Shimlas during the 2024 Varsity Cup.

Wentzel and the replacement scrumhalf Jandré Nel also have a fine chemistry and paired together in the halfback combination have the ability to put their opponents under pressure on the attack.

Jandré Nel. Photo: Morgan Piek

The last time the Cheetahs and Zebre faced each other was in December 2023, when the Free State team beat the Italian side 33–15 in Parma during round one of the Challenge Cup.

Sunday’s (12/1) match between the Cheetahs and Zebre at the NRCA Stadium kicks off at 15:00.

Cheetahs – 15 Michael Annies, 14 Munier Hartzenberg, 13 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 12 Ali Mgijima, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 Ethan Wentzel, 9 Ruben de Haas, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Friedle Olivier, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Pieter Janse van Vuren, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Chucky van der Westhuizen, 1 Hencus van Wyk

Replacements – 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Corné Fourie, 18 Laurence Victor, 19 Pierre Uys, 20 Sisonke Vumazonke, 21 Jandré Nel, 22 Litha Nkula, 23 Cohen Jasper

Zebre – 15 Giacomo da Re, 14 Jacopo Trulla, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Fetuli Paea, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giovanni Montemauri, 9 Thomas Dominguez, 8 Giovanni Licata, 7 Samuele Locatelli, 6 Giacomo Ferrari, 5 Leonardo Krumov, 4 Matteo Canali, 3 Muhamed Hasa, 2 Tommaso di Bartolomeo, 1 Danilo Fischetti (captain)

Replacements – 16 Luca Bigi, 17 Luca Rizzoli, 18 Juan Pitinari, 19 Rusiate Nasove, 20 Bautista Stavile Bravin, 21 Ratko Jelic, 22 Damiano Mazza, 23 Scott Gregory

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek  dg