The hard-grafting flanker Gideon van der Merwe has been cleared and is training with the team.

Van der Merwe left the park on Friday during their 29-28 defeat to the Pumas with a suspected concussion, however, he has been cleared after testing.

While the loss of Van der Merwe for Saturday’s game and potentially the semi-final would have been a big blow to the Cheetahs, they are blessed to have several quality loose-forwards at their disposal.

The tough loose-forward told OFM Sport that he was more winded than anything else.

“His shoulder caught me on the lower chest and I think his chin made some contact with my head.

“The hit looked a lot worse than it actually was. When the doc and the physio got to me, I was more winded than anything else.

“Because the hit looked so bad, they’d already subbed me, so it wasn't a nice end to the game for me.

“The doc did a concussion baseline test on me and everything looked fine for light training and keep out of contact.

“For the part of the season we are in now, it's defiantly important for me to stay in the mix.”

Saturday’s big game between the Cheetahs and Bulls at the Toyota Stadium kicks off at 17:45.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport