The lock, Alex Jeffries, is line for his debut in the match if he comes off the bench, while the centre Ashley Beck will make his 100th appearance in the championship.

By the same token the Tongan prop, Ma’afu Fia, will earn his 50th cap for the Ospreys when he comes off the bench.

The regular captain, Alun Wyn Jones, as well as the flyhalf, Dan Biggar, the scrumhalf, Bradley Davies, and the loose forward, Justin Tipuric, are not available for selection due to international duty for Wales in the Six Nations.

Furthermore the Ospreys have twenty other players unavailable for selection due to injury and these include the Welsh hooker, Scott Baldwin, who was infamously bitten by a lion ahead of the previous match between these two sides in Bloemfontein.

The Zimbabwean-born former Springbok prop, Brian Mujati, is also on this long injury list.

The Cheetahs have indicated their aspirations for the play-offs and with the Ospreys also still in for a shout, they too are targeting the next round.

The interim head coach, Allen Clarke, says their hard-fought win over Southern Kings last week was vitally important and they will be targeting a South African double.

“Everybody here understands the importance of this game to our aspirations for this season. The win last weekend was crucial for us and we got what we needed from the Kings game even if we know that the performance wasn’t at the level we want it to be.

“There’s a healthy realism about where we are and what we need to do to improve our position over the coming weeks, starting on Saturday evening. We have to build on the last result.

“We know where we are in the table but to give credit to the squad the mood is good and the environment is a positive one with people wanting to be here, wanting to work hard.

“Whatever the outcome this weekend, or this season, that’s something positive that we can build on for the future. Ultimately though, we all understand that we’ll be judged by what happens on the field on game day.”

The last time these two sides meant was in September last year when the Cheetahs thrashed the Ospreys 44-25 in Bloemfontein.

Saturday evenings’ game at the Liberty Stadium kicks off at 19:30. This game will not be televised and can be followed live on Twitter, using the handle @OFMSport and also via the Cheetahs social media.

Ospreys - 15 Dan Evans, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Tom Habberfield (Captain), 10 Sam Davies, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Sam Cross, 7 Guy Mercer, 6 Olly Cracknell, 5 James King, 4 Adam Beard, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Nicky Smith.

Replacements - 16 Ifan Phillips, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Ma’afu Fia, 19 Alex Jeffries, 20 James Hook, 21 Luke Price, 22 Owen Watkin, 23 Hanno Dirksen.

Toyota Cheetahs - 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Craig Barry, 13 Francois Venter (captain), 12 Nico Lee, 11 Malcolm Jaer, 10 Niel Marais, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Uzair Cassiem, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Tier Schoeman, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Justin Basson, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Charles Marais.

Replacements – 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Günther Janse van Vuuren, 19 Rynier Bernardo, 20 Uzair Cassiem, 21 Zee Mkhabela, 22 Fred Zeilinga, 23 Luther Obi.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport