The Peacock Blues have named an unchanged backline for this must-win clash. Up front, Carl Els shifts from eighth-man to flank, Gustav Erlank comes in at the back of the scrum, while Malembe Mpofu replaces Derik Pretorius at lock.

Griquas coach Pieter Bergh told OFM Sport their focus is purely on what they can control.

“It’s a big game, yes, but not bigger than the previous weeks. Every match for us has been must-win, and this one is no different,” said Bergh.

“We haven’t spoken about the derby, or the Cheetahs, or how well we know them – our focus is simply on getting the result.

“If we want to finish on top of the log, we have to win all our remaining games. At the same time, we don’t want to make it bigger than it is – it’s an important match we need to win to stay in the hunt for a semi-final. Even then, results elsewhere could still play a role. For us, the priority is to deliver the right performance and hopefully walk away with the points.”

Past results don’t matter much for the Griquas either, as plenty has changed between the two teams during this Currie Cup campaign. The Griquas have already beaten the Cheetahs three times this year, while their last defeat to the Free State was back in March 2023.

Dylan Maart. Photo: Morgan Piek

With semi-final spots on the line, the focus is firmly on Friday – and every point will count. Bergh admitted that while their recent record gives them confidence, the past counts for nothing unless they perform on the day.

“We know the last time the Cheetahs beat us was on 10 March 2023 – that’s almost two and a half years ago now. That record does give our players confidence – we know we can beat them. But at the same time, they pushed us very close in the SA Cup twice, in the last round-robin match and the semi-final, so we understand how fine the margins are.

“They’ve also adjusted their style – in the SA Cup they went all-out attack, but now they’re kicking more and playing a territory-based game. If you look at their team for Friday, that’s exactly what we can expect.

“For us, it’s about getting the performance right. If we do that, the result will take care of itself.”

Friday’s derby at the Toyota Stadium kicks off at 17:00.

Cheetahs – 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Prince Nkabinde, 13 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 12 Carel-Jan Coetzee, 11 Cohen Jasper, 10 Franco Smith Jr, 9 Rewan Kruger, 8 Neels Volschenk, 7 Mihali Mosi, 6 Gideon van der Merwe, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Juan Venter, 3 John-Kelly Okonkwo, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 1 Hencus van Wyk.

Replacements – 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Frankie Dos Reis, 19 Pierre Uys, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Jandré Nel, 22 Ali Mgijima, 23 Michael Annies.

Griquas – 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Gurswin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Caleb Abrahams, 8 Gustav Erlank, 7 Carl Els, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg, 4 Malembe Mpofu, 3 Cebo Dlamini (captain), 2 Janco Uys, 1 Eddie Davids

Replacements – 16 Tiaan Lange, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Ntobeko Shezi, 19 Derik Pretorius, 20 Marco de Witt, 21 Thomas Bursey, 22 Tom Nel, 23 Connor Mahoney

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs