Willemse starts at flyhalf as Stormers change up

DHL Stormers coach John Dobson has made six changes to his starting team for Saturday’s final match of the Cape side’s current three-match Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour against Edinburgh at The Hive.

With the Stormers set to face the 2022/23 champions Munster and the reigning champions Glasgow Warriors in Cape Town over the next two weekends, some freshening up of the team was anticipated. However, the headline changes were perhaps what we might have anticipated at the start of the tour, had Warrick Gelant not been injured - Gelant is starting in the last line of defence for the first time this season, which means Damian Willemse will move to flyhalf.

There is one other change at the back, with Angelo Davids coming in on the right wing for Suleiman Hartzenberg.

Willemse replaces Jurie Matthee and it looks like he is taking over the frontline goalkicking duties in this game. Matthee is not included on the bench, so Willemse looks like the only place-kicker who has fulfilled that role before in the match-day squad. That can be seen as an endorsement on coach John Dobson’s part of the work Willemse must have been doing from the tee in training.

It is likely though not certain that Manie Libbok will be back in the starting team at pivot when the Stormers host Munster at DHL Stadium the following week.

There are also three changes at forward, with Dave Ewers coming in at openside flank for Marcel Theunissen, who moves to the bench after starting the first two games. Ewers started the opening game against the Ospreys, but in that match he was at blindside flank. Ben-Jason Dixon has subsequently returned to the starting team after being assimilated back into the Stormers system following his time away with the Springboks.

There is a swap between Brok Harris and Sti Sithole at loosehead prop, with Sithole playing off the bench this time, while Andre-Hugo Venter comes into the starting team for the first time in the URC season for Joseph Dweba. JJ Kotze is the hooker reserve, and will be making his first appearance of the season when he comes onto the field, and ditto for two other reserves - Willie Engelbrecht and Wandisile Simelane.

“We know how tough it is to win here in Edinburgh, so it will take a big effort to back up our performance in Italy (against Zebre),” said Dobson in naming the team.

DHL STORMERS TEAM: Warrick Gelant, Angelo Davids, Ruhan Nel, Dan du Plessis (captain), Leolin Zas, Damian Willemse, Paul de Wet, Keke Morabe, Ben-Jason Dixon, Dave Ewers, Ruben van Heerden, JD Schickerling, Neethling Fouche, Andre-Hugo Venter, Brok Harris. Replacements: JJ Kotze, Sti Sithole, Sazi Sandi, Adre Smith, Marcel Theunissen, Willie Engelbrecht, Stefan Ungerer, Wandisile Simelane.