There are two changes to their tight five, and an additional change to the backline enforced by the shoulder injury of Rico Gear.

Wyatt Crockett comes in to loosehead prop, whilst Ben Franks shifts to tighthead in the place of Campbell Johnstone. Crockett returns after illness kept him out of the defeat at the hands of the Lions in Johannesburg.

Brent Ward comes in for Gear on the right wing, whilst Michael Paterson replaces Kevin O'Neill at lock.

Paterson made his Super rugby debut on Saturday, becoming the 115th player to don the Crusaders jersey.

Crusaders coach Robbie Deans says Crockett's return and the retention of May, at the expense of regular front row fixture Campbell Johnstone, was about sharing the work load.

"It's a long and physical competition and the day in day out battering can take its toll, especially on the tight forwards over here [in South Africa]," Deans says.

"We've still got two matches to play before the bye, and they'll both be physical contests, so we're looking to manage our resources the best that we can by this week allowing Campbell to freshen up."

There have also been changes on the replacement bench, with lock Isaac Ross and the talented former New Zealand u19 centre Tim Bateman included. Kevin O'Neill and Campbell Johnstone have dropped out of the match squad entirely.

"They're well coached, have had a consistent group of players together over a number of seasons, and have enjoyed a lot of success which has given them a lot of confidence," Deans says of the Cheetahs.

"That all adds up to make them a significant challenge, but our preparations have gone well and we are looking forward to getting up there and taking them on!"

The Crusaders have been based in Cape Town all week, but will relocate to Bloemfontein on the eve of the match.

Crusaders: 15 Scott Hamilton, 14 Brent Ward, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Rua Tipoki, 11 Caleb Ralph, 10 Stephen Brett, 9 Andrew Ellis, 8 Mose Tuiali'i, 7 Johnny Leo'o, 6 Kieran Read, 5 Michael Paterson, 4 Ross Filipo, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Corey Flynn (c), 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Ti'i Paulo, 17 Ben May, 18 Jake Paringatai, 19 Isaac Ross, 20 Kevin Senio, 21 Tusi Pisi, 22 Tim Bateman

Venue: Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
Date: 24 February 2007
Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)