Joseph Dweba and Neethling Fouche start in two of four changes to the Stormers run-on XV for the North-South clash against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
Springbok hooker Dweba comes in for JJ Kotze, and tighthead prop Fouche trades places with Frans Malherbe, who is set to make an impact off the bench at Loftus with fellow record-appearances holder Brok Harris.
In the backline, wing Leolin Zas has recovered from the illness that ruled him out of the Lions defeat a fortnight ago, while the other change sees Stefan Ungerer take over from Paul de Wet at scrumhalf.
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The men from Cape Town will want to make amends for their heart-breaking 33-32 loss against the Bulls two weeks ago in Cape Town.
However, Jake White’s charges – who have never beaten the Stormers twice in one season in the Vodacom URC – enter the clash in third place on the overall standings to the Capetonians’ 10th, and buoyed by a 31-19 win over the Lions in Pretoria last week.
Director of rugby John Dobson said the Stormers are ready to give it all they have after two good weeks of preparation.
“Travelling to Loftus Versfeld is always an exciting challenge for a Stormers team and we will need a full 80-minute performance to get the result we need,” he said.
“We have kept some good continuity and expect to see a higher standard across the board as we look to rise to what should be another big occasion.”
STORMERS – 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c), 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Bench: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Gary Porter, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Willie Engelbrecht, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Jonathan Roche.
Here is your DHL Stormers team for the @Vodacom #URC Origin Round match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
📢 Team announcement https://t.co/q3YyCDaEpU#BULvSTO #iamastormer #OriginRound pic.twitter.com/w04DCbhdv6
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) February 28, 2025
Photo: Roberto Bregani/Gallo Images