It was a surprise to see the name of Clinton Swart in the DHL Stormers starting team for Friday night’s opening Investec Champions Cup clash with Bayonne but the veteran flyhalf might prove to be the right man at the right time for the Cape franchise.
Coach John Dobson has explained that the selection of the 33-year-old Swart was forced on him by an injury to Jurie Matthee, who is the usual Stormers flyhalf when Springbok Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is unavailable.
Swart has been with the Stormers on loan from Airlink Pumas since the end of the Carling Currie Cup season and has played a clutch of games for them off the bench.
This though will be Swart’s first start in a big game for the Stormers, and Dobson explained that it might be his last.
“We selected Clinton because we were pretty much forced to because Jurie is injured. Jurie has a ligament injury that isn’t serious and we expect him to be available for the next game (against La Rochelle in Gqeberha),” said Dobson.
“Clinton has been a great member of the group this season and in a way it is good that he gets this chance against Bayonne. Because he is due to return to the Pumas after this as they start their pre-season training soon. So while we can bring him back later on in the season should we need him, this will be his last game for us for now and it is fitting.
“Clint has quite a back story, he’s made great sacrifices leaving his family so that he can help us out and he’s made a great contribution over the past few months. He reminds me a lot of Manie Libbok. Not because of playing style, because Manie is obviously very different in playing style, but in the way that he drives the team forward and also puts mistakes behind him and doesn’t dwell on them.
“As it turns out, in the absence of Jurie the situation is perfectly set up for Clinton tomorrow (Friday) night because we will be looking for a long kicking game and he is also quite physical as a flyhalf.”
Our team for the Investec Champions Cup opener in Bayonne on Friday night.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) December 4, 2025
📢 Team announcement https://t.co/VeIXcChg8u
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KHAN READY TO START HIS CLIMB
It is a case of two extremes pairing up at halfback for the Stormers on Friday, for while Swart has so much experience and is coming towards the end of his career, with this window of games he has been available for the Stormers the only time he has played at this level of competition (he did play for the Bulls during Covid), scrumhalf Imad Khan is at the other end of the spectrum.
A product of Bishops, just like Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the precociously talented young Suleiman Hartzenberg, who is due back from injury for next week’s game against La Rochelle, Khan only turned 22 this week.
However, he has been spoken of as a star of the future for a long time now, and this is his big opportunity.
“We do see Imad as a real star of the future, a special talent, and it hasn’t really been that he has been out injured that much recently, we’ve been putting him through a gym programme to strengthen him. We have been bringing him through and we feel this is the game for him.”
One of he designs of the decision to recruit Cobus Reinach, currently the Bok first choice scrumhalf, was for him to help Khan come through, but the veteran should be back to wear the No 9 next week in what will be his first home game for the Stormers, albeit it will be in Gqeberha and not at DHL Stadium.
With Stefan Ungerer also on the Stormers books, and Dewaldt Duvenage, who is probably in his final season as a player as he doubles as a player/coach, backing up the starting scrumhalf in the same way as he did Ungerer in Munster last week, Dobson sees this as the ideal opportunity to give Khan game time as a starter (he has played off the bench for the Stormers and did so on their recent tour).
DOBSON OUT TO WIN
But none of this is an indication that the Stormers are taking the often taken South African attitude into a Champions Cup pool game of thinking in under-strength terms.
“I think we’ve moved beyond that,” said Dobson. “How quickly we have managed to develop our depth, particularly at forward, has surprised me. It feels like we are ahead of our plan. If we had 12 forwards capable of competing in both the URC and the Champions Cup, we might prioritise one competition over the other.
“But instead of having 12 forwards capable of playing at this level, we now probably have 20. That means we can start competing in the Champions Cup. Look, I don’t think we are champion material in this competition, but we are working towards making a big improvement when it comes to competing across both Europe and the URC, and I know it is the same at the Bulls.
“So now I am in a position where I can announce a team without some key players and you don’t look at that team and say that is a weakened team and we are in trouble. A few years ago we played Leicester Tigers away with what was effectively a second string team, and later in the competition, when we go to Harlequins, we might have to go under-strength because of logistical challenges around our URC program, but right now we don’t have to do that and we want to go all out to get off to a winning start.
“As you know, everyone always talks about the home games being so crucial in the Champions Cup. Well, that means if we start off with an away win we will have made a really sound start to the competition.”