50 up for Venter as Stormers bring back Libbok, Malherbe

DHL Stormers hooker Andre-Hugo Venter will run out for his 50th cap in the team’s jersey when he takes the field against defending Vodacom United Rugby Championship champions Glasgow Warriors in Stellenbosch on Saturday.

Venter will lead the team out in the early kickoff - 13h45 start in the student town - as he gets a start alongside some more seasoned teammates with coach John Dobson bringing back two World Cup winners.

Manie Libbok and Frans Malherbe will both make their first starts of the season for their team as Dobson loads his side with experience for the big clash.

Libbok’s return is naturally at flyhalf, which means that last week’s man of the match Damian Willemse will move to inside centre, with captain Dan du Plessis lining up on the outside of Willemse.

All these moves have meant that Ruhan Nel moves to wing for the clash.

With Malherbe back, Venter will be part of a massively experienced front row, with props on either side of him being the two most-capped Stormers players of all time.

In the side’s only other change Ruben van Heerden moves into the starting line-up from the bench, where he played from against Munster.

New faces on the replacement bench include prop Leon Lyons and loose forwards Willie Engelbrecht and Louw Nel.

Director of Rugby John Dobson said that his team was looking to match their performance against Munster last week for a second home win.

"We saw last week what a difference it makes playing in our conditions in front of our supporters, but we need to back that up on Saturday again,” Dobson said.

"Glasgow are the defending champions, so we will have to raise our game further if we are to get the win we need.

"We are thrilled for Andre-Hugo to reach this milestone at such a young age and we look forward to even bigger things from him in the years to come.

"It is fantastic to have the likes of Frans and Manie back in the mix and we expect them to make a real impact on Saturday," he said.

DHL Stormers: Warrick Gelant; Ruhan Nel, Dan du Plessis (captain), Damian Willemse, Leolin Zas; Manie Libbok, Paul de Wet; Keke Morabe, Ben-Jason Dixon, Marcel Theunissen, Ruben van Heerden, JD Schickerling, Frans Malherbe, Andre-Hugo Venter, Bok Harris.

Replacements: Joseph Dweba, Leon Lyons, Neethling Fouche, Adre Smith, Willie Engelbrecht, Louw Nel, Herschel Jantjies, Suleiman Hartzenberg.