Sbu Nkosi omitted from Cheetahs side that will tackle Bulls

Sbu Nkosi is a notable absentee in the defending champion Cheetahs’ matchday 23 for a top-of-the-table Currie Cup tussle with the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria tomorrow night.

Cheetahs right winger Cohen Jasper starts the round three clash at Loftus Versfeld in place of Springbok speedster Nkosi, who misses out for ‘personal reasons’.

Nkosi, whose off-field problems are well documented, joined the Cheetahs on a one-year contract in March. The 2019 Rugby World Cup winner reached a mutual agreement with the Bulls to terminate his contract last June.

His one-season stint at the Bulls ended under a cloud after he took a not-so-subtle dig at the Bulls on his social media page, while touring with the World XV in England.

Marco Jansen van Vuren gets the nod at scrum-half while Prince Nkabinde will make his debut for the Free Staters on left wing.

In the pack, tighthead prop Hencus van Wyk and lock Carl Wegner replace Aranos Coetzee and Mzwanele Zito, respectively.

Jeandre Rudolph shifts to openside flanker, with veteran loose forward Oupa Mohoje wearing the No eight jersey. Daniel Maartens will now provide cover from the bench.

The Cheetahs travel to the Highveld in first place on the standings following a convincing win over DHL Western Province in Bloemfontein.

The third-placed Bulls, too, recorded their second successive victory in round two of the 2024 campaign, scoring eight tries to comfortably beat the Griffons in Kimberley.

“It’s a very important game for us. We want to stay on top of the log, but it will be a massive challenge. The Bulls have a massive squad, and they are a good team,” said head coach Izak van der Westhuizen.

Cheetahs – 15 Litha Nkula, 14 Cohen Jasper, 13 Munier Hartzenberg, 12 Ali Mgijima 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 Ethan Wentzel, 9 Marko Jansen van Vuren, 8 Oupa Mohoje, 7 Aidon Davis, 6 Jeandre Rudolph, 5 Victor Sekekete (c), 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Hencus van Wyk, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Subs: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Pieter Jansen van Vuuren, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Neels Volschenk, 22 Jandre Nel, 23 Reinhardt Fortuin.