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Stormers go fully loaded with 11 Springboks for all-South African clash
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The Stormers have named 11 Springboks in their matchday squad for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship derby against the Sharks in Cape Town.
Seven of those were involved in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, six of which will make their first Stormers appearances of the season, with Damian Willemse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach and Wilco Louw all starting.
Siya Kolisi, who returned to Stormers duty last weekend, moves to blindside flanker as Paul de Villiers comes back into the starting XV, while Hacjivah Dayimani continues at No.8.
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Louw will make his first Stormers appearance since 2020, while Adré Smith earns his first start of the season and Haashim Pead is set for his senior Stormers debut from the bench.
The Stormers will also wear their new black kit for the first time, a throwback to the franchise’s 1999 Men in Black campaign.
Director of rugby John Dobson said: “It is fantastic to be able to name a team like this which is full of exceptional talents, from Deon Fourie with 141 DHL Stormers caps through to Haashim Pead who makes his first appearance for us.
“It has been really encouraging to see the way the players returning from national duty have stepped up this week and added immensely to our preparations. It was a tough team to select with many quality players missing out.
“This weekend we also play our first match in the new Men in Black kit, which is a great nod to our past and something which resonates deeply with our fans.
“It is going to be a fantastic occasion at DHL Stadium on Saturday, beyond the rugby which will be typically intense. We hope that our fans come out in their numbers to enjoy every moment with us.”
Stormers XV: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas; 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach; 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 3 Wilco Louw, 4 Adré Smith, 5 JD Schickerling, 6 Paul de Villiers, 7 Siya Kolisi, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Evan Roos, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
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