Does ‘injured’ Frans Steyn hold the key to Newlands showdown?
The Cheetahs, axed from Pro Rugby earlier this year, would like to add another 'Big Four' scalp to their collection, having beaten the Bulls earlier in the campaign.
Will experienced centre Frans Steyn run out against the Stormers in the big Super Rugby Unlocked match at Newlands on Saturday evening? Picture: Getty Images
The lingering question whether the Cheetahs’ star Springbok centre Frans Steyn will play today against the Stormers at Newlands in their Super Rugby Unlocked match has been up in the air for much of the week.
It is perhaps a sign of just how valuable the veteran centre, who has a niggling groin injury, is to the Cheetahs’ cause and how highly he is revered by opposition teams.
A spokesperson for the Cheetahs said yesterday Steyn had boarded the flight to Cape Town with the rest of his team-mates, but a final decision on his availability may be delayed until just prior to kick-off.
If Steyn does end up playing, however, a question mark may just hover over his match sharpness, having last been in action in the second round of the domestic Super Rugby competition against the Bulls in Bloemfontein.
Both teams have an extra incentive to win, with the log-leading Bulls’ final game against the Pumas hanging in the balance, which still makes every log point vital.
The Cheetahs are coming off a loss against the Sharks, but will be fired up to put that performance on the back burner, while the Stormers will be buoyed by their big win over Griquas.
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A massive contest at scrum-time is expected between front-rowers Luan de Bruin of the Cheetahs and Stormers captain Steven Kitshoff.
Little separated them recently when they played for the Green and Gold in a pre-season festival match and De Bruin for one is likely to be fired-up in his penultimate game for the Cheetahs before departing to join Leicester Tigers.
On the other side of the scrum, the imposing Frans Malherbe could make life difficult for Charles Marais and don’t discount the possibility of a few early penalties that could leave the Cheetahs with scoreboard pressure.
In their final game as a Stormers unit at their longtime Newlands home, the hosts certainly want to go out with a bang, but barring the Griquas game, they haven’t quite fired this season.
The seasoned former Pumas No 8 Jeandre Rudolph and flank Andisa Ntsila would have targeted the breakdown, especially with the Stormers fielding a relatively raw rookie, Marcel Theunissen.
The home pack shouldn’t however expect to dominate the opposing forwards, who have added former Griquas lock Ian Groenewald to the mix.
The Cheetahs have stood back for no teams this term and would like nothing more than another “Big Four” scalp after beating the Bulls earlier this season.
But the question still remains – Will Steyn be the big difference if he plays?
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