Former London Irish star Ben Loader will make his eagerly awaited first start for the DHL Stormers when they face the Scarlets in a second round Vodacom United Rugby Championship match at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
Loader was recruited by Stormers coach John Dobson when London Irish went bust during the off-season and much is expected of him after making a strong start to his career as a Stormers off the bench against the Emirates Lions last weekend. His inclusion ahead of Angelo Davids is one of two changes to the backline that started at Emirates Airlines Park.
The other change at the back is a rotational switch, with Paul de Wet slotting into the No 9 jersey this week after Herschel Jantjies played starting scrumhalf last week. There are a couple of changes at forward, one of them injury enforced as Adre Smith comes in for regular captain Salmaan Moerat.
Moerat underwent an operation on his torn pec muscle this week and will be out for a minimum of four months. Tighthead prop Neethling Fouche will as anticipated take over the captaincy reins for this game, with it being open to question what will happen when the Springboks are back and Frans Malherbe slots back into the No 3 jersey. Deon Fourie certainly appears the best fit for the role when the team is at full strength.
Talking of the front row, the experienced Ali Vermaak returns at loosehead after missing last week’s trip to Johannesburg because of a niggle, with both of last week’s loosehead props, the starter Kwenzo Blose and the man who replaced him successfully Lizo Gqoboko, sitting out this week. That gives Sti Sithole a chance to get reacquainted with the Stormers jersey as a member of the bench. Sithole started his senior career with Western Province and the Stormers before heading to the Emirates Lions for a few years.
In another change to the pack Hacjivah Dayimani comes in at blindside flank, where he played much of last week’s game off the bench, with Ben-Jason Dixon, who put in a good shift in Joburg both as a blindside flanker and then a lock, moving to the bench. Nama Xaba makes his return to competitive rugby off the bench and the Stormers, with a six/two split between forwards and backs, have a lot of forward depth available to them for this game.
Former Bok wing Courtnall Skosan will make his debut for the Stormers off the bench.
DHL Stormers team: Warrick Gelant, Ben Loader, Ruhan Nel, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Leolin Zas, Clayton Blommetjies, Paul de Wet, Evan Roos, Hacjivah Dayimani, Marcel Theunissen, Ruben van Heerden, Adre Smith, Neethling Fouche (captain), Joseph Dweba, Ali Vermaak. Replacements: Andre-Hugo Venter, Sti Sithole, Brok Harris, Gary Porter, Ben-Jason Dixon, Nama Xaba, Herschel Jantjies, Courtnall Skosan.