The three-day South Region Castle Sevens tournament will feature eight nations.

These will include Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, hosts Zambia and Swaziland following the Confederation of African Rugby’s announcement that the showcase will now contribute to seeding the teams at continental level.

Cheetahs manager Bruce Hobson said, “The coming in of other nations will bring competition into the game and that is what we are preparing ourselves for. We need to stay focused and remain strong for a good record so that we are respected in future tournaments.”

This will certainly become a serious hunting ground for the Cheetahs this weekend with the ultimate goal of maintaining their power on the battle-field after winning the tournament a record four times.

They share the record with South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province as they continue to feature as regular participants together with the hosts, Zambia.

The Cheetahs, who are not yet full members of the Sevens series, participate annually in the Dubai and George series - but a good outing in Zambia may come to determine their invitation to the Hong Kong series.