The Springbok duo of Damian Willemse and Cobus Reinach plus 2019 World Cup winner Warrick Gelant have made their anticipated returns to the DHL Stormers team for Saturday’s Vodacom URC derby against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Cape Town.
However, while those three will boost the Stormers’ chances after they missed last week’s Investec Champions Cup game against Leicester Tigers, there is still no Ruhan Nel, the experienced centre who the Stormers were hoping would return from an ankle injury to improve a defensive system that hasn’t been as good in the past few weeks as it was previously.
The influential No 8 Evan Roos is also missing as he is being rested as a precaution due to a slight groin strain, while Adre Smith hasn’t returned just yet to bolster the Stormers’ impressive replacement bench.
That’s not to say the Stormers’ version of the Springboks’ Bomb Squad won’t have a crucial role to play, with director of rugby John Dobson going with a six/two split between forwards and backs that includes two potent locks in the form of Salmaan Moerat and Ruben van Heerden on the bench.
Connor Evans will start as the second row partner to JD Schickerling in this game, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu continuing as the team’s captain until Moerat comes onto the field. Marcel Theunissen, who played off the bench last week, will take up No 8 in place of Roos, with of course Ruhan Ackermann being out injured for another few weeks. Louw Nel is the loose-forward cover on the bench.
Your team for the @Vodacom #URC coastal derby in front of a packed DHL Stadium on Saturday night.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) January 23, 2026
📢 Team announcement https://t.co/L9DhlT9R1k
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With Wandisile Simelane moving back into the starting outside centre role in the continued absence of Nel, Suleiman Hartzenberg goes back to the right wing, where he replaces Dylan Maart. Imad Khan and Jurie Matthee, both of them halfbacks, are the two backline reserves.
“This is our third and final home derby of the season and we are set for another blockbuster in front of a huge crowd,” said Dobson.
“These are the matches that players, coaches and fans live for and we know that it will take a big performance to get the result. We have some quality players coming into the team and they will all need to hit the ground running and bring plenty of intensity.
“It is fantastic to have the likes of Cobus, Damian and Warrick back in the mix and we are also excited to see what the likes of Marcel and Louw can do given this opportunity,” he added.
DHL Stormers team: Warrick Gelant, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Wandisile Simelane, Damian Willemse, Leolin Zas, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (captain), Cobus Reinach, Marcel Theunissen, Ben-Jason Dixon, Paul de Villiers, JD Schickerling, Connor Evans, Neethling Fouché, André-Hugo Venter, Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: JJ Kotze, Vernon Matongo, Sazi Sandi, Salmaan Moerat, Ruben van Heerden, Louw Nel, Imad Khan, Jurie Matthee.