The Cheetahs have made one change to their starting line up to face the Natal Sharks at Kings Park in Durban with Riaan Smit coming into the side on the wing.
Smit starts on the right wing forcing Rayno Benjamin down to the replacements bench.
Free State Cheetahs prop Schalk van der Merwe has been cleared to play following a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday.
Van der Merwe received a red card in the 74th minute of the Cheetahs’ final Currie Cup match of the round-robin stage last Saturday.
Van der Merwe was cited for lifting Blue Bulls fullback Jurgen Visser, twisting him and failing to bring him to ground safely, which contravened law 10.4 (j).
Advocate Donny Jacobs, however, ruled that further penalties on Van der Merwe were not necessary on the basis that it could not be proved on a balance of probabilities that Visser was lifted and twisted in the tackle.
The ruling was initially expected to be made on Thursday, but Jacobs’ findings were announced earlier, due to the time constraints ahead of the Cheetahs’ semi-final clash in Durban on Saturday.
Cheetahs
Hennie Daniller,Riaan Smit, Johann Sadie, Robert Ebersohn, Raymond Rhule, Elgar Watts, Sarel Pretorius, Philip van der Walt, Lappies Labuschagne, Boom Prinsloo, Lood de Jager, Francois Uys, Trevor Nyakane, Adriaan Strauss, Coenie Oosthuizen
Replacements: Hercu Liebenberg, Schalk van der Merwe, Teboho Mohoje, Freddie Ngoza, Piet van Zyl, Johan Goosen, Rayno Benjamin
