The embattled Western Force have received a big boost with playmaker Jono Lance to return against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein after 14 weeks on the sideline through injury.
Lance is slightly ahead of schedule in his comeback after tearing his pectoral muscle against the Brumbies back in round three and he comes straight back into the starting side.
Preparing for their first match since coach Michael Foley was sacked and assistant Dave Wessels installed as interim coach, the 16th-placed Force (2-10) are looking to finish a dismal season on a positive note in their last three games.
Veteran prop Pek Cowan again captains the side in the absence of injured skipper Matt Hodgson while Angus Cottrell moves to No.8 to replace Ben McCalman, who was injured playing for the Wallabies during the international break.
"We've got 240 minutes left in the season," said Wessels.
"We know that we've been really close to an outcome in our last few games and we've trained hard in this Test window to get the reward we want for all the months of hard work we've put in."
Wessels said he was looking forward to seeing Lance back in the fold.
"Jono deserves a lot of credit for all the hard work he's put in to get himself in such good physical shape after a long layoff," he said.
Western Force: Dane Haylett-Petty, Luke Morahan, Solomoni Rasolea, Kyle Godwin, Marcel Brache, Jono Lance, Ian Prior, Angus Cottrell, Chris Alcock, Brynard Stander, Adam Coleman, Ross Haylett-Petty, Tetera Faulkner, Harry Scoble, Pek Cowan (capt). Res: Anaru Rangi, Francois van Wyk, Guy Millar, Rory Walton, Richard Hardwick, Ryan Louwrens, Peter Grant, Semisi Masirewa.
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