Three-way battle for Cheetahs’ 10 jersey

TOYOTA Cheetahs head coach, Naka Drotské, is keeping his flyhalf options open with Joe Pietersen, Willie du Plessis and Francois Brummer all having the opportunity to stake a claim for the number 10 jersey according to rugby365.

With Elgar Watts ruled out by a knee injury for the opening five to six weeks of the season, Drotské will use the three upcoming trial matches to assess his backline options ahead of the Cheetahs’ Super Rugby opener against the Sharks on February 14.

Pietersen is a veteran with 50 Super Rugby caps to his name, all with the DHL Stormers, and has had stints at Bayonne from 2010 to 2011 and Biarritz from 2013 to 2014, before joining the Bloemfontein-based franchise for the 2015 season.

Du Plessis arrives at the Toyota Cheetahs after provincial stints with the Vodacom Blue Bulls and Emirates Lions and will hope to earn his first cap at this level.

Meanwhile, Brummer has a pair of Super Rugby caps to his name; one at the Vodacom Blue Bulls and one at the Toyota Cheetahs, in addition to over 100 provincial appearances.

The Toyota Cheetahs started their pre-season in early November and are gearing up for three trials before the action begins on February 14 with three warm-up matches.

On January 24 they will play against the Vodacom Blue Bulls in Polokwane, followed by a friendly match against the DHL Stormers on January 30 and a final warm-up match against the Griffons B-team in Bloemfontein on January 31.