Coach Frans Steyn has made wholesale changes to his team, with versatile centre Marco Jansen van Vuren handed the captaincy for the first time. There are two particularly noticeable changes to the starting XV.

Live-wire flanker Daniel Maartens is moving into the midfield at inside centre alongside Jansen van Vuren. It will be Maartens’ first start in the position.

Aidon Davis. Photo: Morgan Piek

During the Cheetahs’ opening-round win over the Lusitanos of Portugal at the weekend, Maartens came off the bench and slotted into the midfield, where he made an immediate impact.

Perhaps the most significant change, however, comes in the second row, where Aidon Davis will wear the number four jersey for his first competitive match in more than two years following a lengthy battle with health issues.

Better known for his work in the loose trio, Davis is no stranger to the lock position and will add plenty of physicality and grunt to the Cheetahs’ pack.

The energetic flanker Daniel Maartens will start at inside centre for the first time in his career. Photo: Morgan Piek

Steyn told OFM Sport that he is simply delighted to see Davis back on the rugby field after everything he has endured away from the game.

“For me, it’s a massive occasion, especially with Aidon returning,” said Steyn.

“When I started at the Free State, he was one of the big signings I made initially, and we wanted to build the squad around him.

“Everything that he has been going through over the last couple of years, to see him back on the pitch is amazing, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the team.”

As for Maartens’ move into the midfield, Steyn stressed that it is far from a last-minute experiment. The Cheetahs have been preparing him for the role for some time, particularly with the possibility of employing a 6-2 split on the bench.

“We’ve been training Daniel at centre because of the 6-2 split,” Steyn added.

“We’ve trained him a lot at centre over the last couple of months during the Currie Cup as well. He had a run at 12 last weekend, and I thought, ‘Let’s see what he can do at 12.’

“If we get into trouble later on, maybe that’s a great option to have at the back end of the competition.

Marco Jansen van Vuren will captain the Cheetahs for the first time. Photo: Morgan Piek

“You never know what might happen in these competitions, so I’m looking forward to seeing what Daniel can do at 12.”

The Cheetahs are also having to juggle their Tbilisi Cup campaign with the upcoming EPCR Challenge Cup, which gets underway next month.

Player-resting protocols meant Steyn was unable to bring his strongest possible squad to Georgia, forcing the Cheetahs to balance their immediate objectives with the bigger European challenge on the horizon.

Darius Erwee was still in matric at Grey College in 2026. Photo: Morgan Piek

“We try our best to keep the guys fresh, but at the same time, we need to be game-ready for that first game against Bayonne,” said Steyn.

“We’ve all made plans and we think it’s the right thing to do. Hopefully, when we hit the pitch in Bayonne, it will have been the right call.

“You’ll never know until you get there, but we’ve got our plans and hopefully it will work out for us.”

There could also be more first appearances in the green and white, with flyhalf Darius Erwee and loosehead prop Sibabalwe Booi named on the bench.

Juandré Schoeman was excellent on debut for the Cheetahs against the Lusitanos. Photo: Ana Demetrashvili

Hooker Juandré Schoeman, meanwhile, earns his first start after making a strong impact off the bench in the opening round.

The Cheetahs will be looking to build on their opening-round victory when they face the Iberians at the Avchala Rugby Stadium on Tuesday. Kick-off is at 12:00.

Cheetahs - 15 Shuan Ray, 14 Litha Nkula, 13 Marco Jansen van Vuren (captain), 12 Daniel Maartens, 11 Ntokozo Makhaza, 10 Ethan Wentzel, 9 Erich Visser, 8 Mihlali Mosi, 7 Siya Ningiza, 6 Sasko Ndlovu, 5 Juan Venter, 4 Aidon Davis, 3 Ben Pitout, 2 Juandré Schoeman, 1 Tielman Nieuwoudt

Replacements - 16 Stefan Venter, 17 Sibabalwe Booi, 18 John-Kelly Okonkwo, 19 Carl Wegner, 20 Arno van der Merwe, 21 Jandré Nel, 22 Darius Erwee, 23 Sisonke Vumazonke

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs