Bok boost as Stormers mix it up for Racing clash

Evan Roos will make his first start of the season at No 8 for the DHL Stormers in their fourth round Investec Champions Cup pool match against Racing 92 in Paris on Saturday.

Roos, who made his first return to the playing field off the bench in last week’s home game against Sale Sharks, has not started for the Stormers since undergoing surgery on a shoulder injury in the middle of last year.

He is joined in the pack for the game against Racing by fellow Springbok Joseph Dweba, who has recovered from the hamstring strain that kept him from playing the last two matches.

From the evidence of the team he has selected, Stormers director of rugby John Dobson has stuck with the line he spoke about after the 40-0 win over Sale Sharks last Saturday, meaning that while he wants to win he is also using the final Champions Cup group game as a chance to give game time to players returning from injury or who haven't played much recently.

Our team for the Investec Champions Cup Round Four clash in Paris on Saturday night.

📢 Team announcement https://t.co/2QT3MZbs4x#R92vSTO #iamastormer pic.twitter.com/2ivFqgWPH0

— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) January 17, 2025

That means Clayton Blommetjies comes in at fullback for last week’s man of the match Warrick Gelant, while the new centre combination that played in that game, Jonathan Roche and Wandisile Simelane, will get another chance to pick up invaluable experience at Champions Cup level.

Joining them in adding more experience to his CV is the promising flyhalf Jurie Matthee, who comes in for Bok flyhalf Manie Libbok, who is rested this week ahead of the following week’s important Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with Leinster in Dublin.

Veteran scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage comes in for Stefan Ungerer, who impressed against Sale, and no doubt the experience he brings after his many years playing for Benetton and before that the Stormers in Super Rugby influenced the selection, plus the need for him to pick up some game time in case he is needed later in the season.

Roos comes in for Marcel Theunissen at No 8, but instead of dropping out of the starting team Theunissen is just moving position to blindside flank, with Willie Engelbrecht slotting in for Deon Fourie, also rested, on the openside flank.

After a lengthy unbroken shift at No 5 lock JD Schickerling plays off the bench this week to allow Ruben van Heerden a chance to start, while Salmaan Moerat continues as the other lock and as the captain.

Frans Malherbe is another Bok who started last week who won’t be starting in Paris.

Instead Neethling Fouche will pull the No 3 jersey back on, with Malherbe providing cover from the bench.

Dweba comes in for JJ Kotze, who drops out of the match day squad as Andre-Hugo Venter continues as the reserve hooker.

Sti Sithole continues at loosehead as he builds up his match fitness after a lengthy layoff before he made his return to the starting team against Sale, with Ali Vermaak, who has impressed when he has played this season, again covering the position from the bench.

Herschel Jantjies returns to the match day squad as the scrumhalf replacement.

LITTLE TO LOSE

The composition of the team may come as a bit of a surprise as several frontline players are missing but there is still a fair bit of continuity from last week and Blommetjies and Matthee both started the last time the Stormers played a Champions Cup game overseas, which was in the match against Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop in mid-December.

The Stormers have a chance of making the Champions Cup round of 16 if they win but while in the words of both Dobson and assistant coach Dawie Snyman during the week they will give it “a good go”, there is also a feeling they have little to lose in a competition which became a very long shot for them when they lost their opening home game to Toulon in Gqeberha.

Regardless of the result against Racing, there is little chance of them hosting a round of 16 game should they get that far.

Instead much of the focus is on building up to the Leinster game, with Dobson describing the URC as “our day job” after the impressive home win over the Sale Sharks.

Make no mistake, with injured players coming back and fringe players getting a chance, this game does represent an important part of the Stormers’ growth, and a win will be great for the confidence, as will the experience of playing Racing on their home field at the La Defense Arena.

DHL Stormers team: Clayton Blommetjies, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Wandisile Simelane, Jonathan Roche, Ben Loader, Jurie Matthee, Dewaldt Duvenage, Evan Roos, Marcel Theunissen, Willie Engelbrecht, Ruben van Heerden, Salmaan Moerat (captain), Neethling Fouche, Joseph Dweba, Sti Sithole.

Replacements: Andre-Hugo Venter, Ali Vermaak, Frans Malherbe, JD Schickerling, Dave Ewers, Paul de Villiers, Herschel Jantjies, Jean-Luc du Plessis.