Springbok scrum-half Rudy Paige will captain a new-look Free State Cheetahs side when they host the Sharks in their Currie Cup encounter in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Paige is one of 12 changes to the Cheetahs’ starting line-up for this encounter made by their head coach Daan Human.
This, after most of their first-choice players were called up to play in the PRO14 which starts this weekend.
Paige forms a new half-back partnership with his former Bulls team-mate Louis Fouche in a backline which has six alterations to the one which started in last weekend’s 32-0 defeat against Western Province in Cape Town.
Meanwhile, the forwards also has six changes with the experienced Niell Jordaan a noticeable inclusion at number eight.
Free State Cheetahs: 15 Adriaan Carelse, 14 Ali Mgijima, 13 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 12 Tersius Kruger, 11 Lloyd Greeff, 10 Louis Fouce, 9 Rudy Paige (c), 8 Niell Jordaan, 7 Gerhard Olivier, 6 Stephan Malan, 5 Dennis Visser, 4 Louis Conradie, 3 Gunther Janse van Vuuren, 2 Reinach Venter, 1 Kevin Stevens
Replacements: 16 Jannes Snyman, 17 Johan Kotze, 18 Luigi van Jaarsveld, 19 Abongile Nonkontwana, 20 Dian Badenhorst, 21 Vuyani Maqina, 22 Reinhart Erwee
Date: Saturday, September 1
Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 14:00 local (13:00 BST, 12:00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse, Divan Uys
TMO: Lourens van der Merwe