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Bloemfontein - Francois Uys will lead a strong Cheetahs side into battle when they travel to Polokwane to take on the Bulls in their pre-season friendly on Saturday.
Accoridng to the supersport.com website, Uys has been appointed captain for the game, with coach Naka Drotske opting to choose a captain later before the start of the season.
Still, the Cheetahs team includes a host of new recruits, as well as two Springboks in Coenie Oosthuizen and Lood de Jager up front as they gear up for a tough Super Rugby season.
While Boks Oupa Mohoje, Willie le Roux and Sevens Bok Ryno Benjamin are on the bench, and are only likely to see limited action during the game, the team have included a number of their new recruits, including former Lions No 8 Willie Britz and former Stormers utility back Joe Pietersen.
Pietersen will start at flyhalf and partner Sarel Pretorius behind the scrum, while Britz will form an interesting loose trio with Jean Cook and Tienie Burger behind Uys and De Jager in the engine room.
Danie Mienie joins Absa Currie Cup captain Torsten van Jaarsveld and Oosthuizen in the front row.
Francois Venter makes a welcome return from injury in the midfield, with former Lion and Pumas midfielder JW Jonker returning to the Cheetahs to partner him in the midfield.
New recruit Sergeal Petersen will make his debut for the Cheetahs on the left wing with Raymond Rhule on the right, while Coenie van Wyk becomes another new recruit to make his debut after spending much of last season with the Lions and Pumas.
Cheetahs team
15 Coenie van Wyk, 14 Raymond Rhule, 13 JW Jonker, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Sergeal Petersen, 10 Joe Pietersen, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Willie Britz, 7 Tienie Burger, 6 Jean Cook, 5 Francois Uys (captain), 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Danie Mienie
Substitutes: BG Uys, Ewald van der Westhuizen, Maks van Dyk, Stephan Coetzee, Carl Wegner, Carel Greeff, Armandt Koster, Tian Meyer, Francois Brummer, Ryno Benjamin, Oupa Mohoje, Clayton Blommetjies, Willie le Roux
