The extent of the task that the DHL Stormers face in their Vodacom URC semifinal against Leinster in Dublin was underlined when the Irish team selection was made on Thursday.
The top Ireland and British and Irish Lions hooker Dan Sheehan, who’d perhaps have a right to be considered the best in his position in the world if it were not for the existence of Springbok No 2 Malcolm Marx, is not there.
But most of the rest of the players who went into the buildup week doubtful because of injury have been cleared and Ireland captain and No 8 Caelan Doris will be leading a formidable team against Ruhan Nel’s men.
There have been three changes made to the side that thrashed the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions 59-10 in the quarterfinal at the AVIVA Stadium last Saturday and they strengthen an already strong team.
The Leinster and Ireland playmaker, scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park, is back in the starting team after taking a partial rest by playing off the bench last week.
Ronan Kelleher, who is an experienced international in his own right, comes in for Sheehan, while ace openside flanker and fetcher Josh van der Flier is also back in the starting team, with Leinster lining up with a side that looks close to an Ireland international combination.
As a reflection of how seldom Leinster have gone full strength against South African teams is the fact that there are no less than 10 Ireland internationals in the Leinster team who will be playing their first ever game against the Stormers in Leinster colours - Andrew Porter, Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Van der Flier, Doris, Gibson-Park, Garry Ringrose and Hugo Keenan.
𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢 ⚡
— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) June 4, 2026
🔷 Here is your Leinster Rugby team to take on @THESTORMERS in Saturday's @URCOfficial semi-final 💪
🎟️ Get your tickets here: https://t.co/173tmKMOPB
Full team news 👉 https://t.co/t2BzUXHmbm#LEIvSTO #NeverLessThanEverything pic.twitter.com/eEyG1miYzK
PLAYING INTERNATIONAL QUALITY OPPOSITION SHOULD DRIVE MOTIVATION
Seeing Gibson-Park and Sam Prendergast lining up as the halfback pairing reinforces what a pity it is that the Stormers will be without their first choice Springbok halfback pairing of Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu as that would have provided an interesting focus going into the game.
However, knowing that they are in opposition to a halfback pairing that has played several Ireland games together since the retirement of Jonny Sexton, although Munster’s Jack Crowley is the current Irish first choice, should be seen as an opportunity by the young Stormers duo of Imad Khan and Jurie Matthee.
The pair, 22 and 25 respectively, will get a lot of confidence if they do well against the Leinster pair, and that really sums up what the Stormers should be thinking as they go into the game as underdogs.
They don’t have the same pedigree as Leinster when it comes to international experience but players like Khan and Paul de Villiers are considered to have bright futures, while Evan Roos can make a point about his Springbok ambitions if he does well in a game where the highly regarded Doris is in the opposition team.
The DHL Stormers have a tough mission 😅
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 2, 2026
They've never won away at Leinster so if they are to make the final, Dobbo's men must rewrite history 📖#SSRugby | #VURC pic.twitter.com/voSW7hbyn5
ALL BLACK FACED STORMERS IN SUPER RUGBY
Among the players who have played the Stormers before is the All Black Rieko Ioane, who will have been familiar with the Cape opposition in the early years of his career when he was playing for the Blues and the South African teams were playing Super Rugby.
James Lowe, from New Zealand but an Ireland international, played against the Stormers for Leinster last season and would also have done so when he was playing for the Highlanders.
The Leinster team is packed with experienced players, as indicated by the number of caps indicated in brackets on the team sheet - last week wing Lowe joined the other wing Jimmy O’Brien, Gibson-Park, Doris, Van der Flier, Max Deegan, Ryan and Porter as members of the starting team who have played 100 games or more for Leinster.
And you can add to that two players on the replacement bench, Jack Conan and Garry Ringrose, both also experienced international players who boast 327 Leinster caps between them.
The Stormers effectively blew their chances when they blew their strong chance of finishing on top of the log, in which case they’d have been hosting this week rather than travelling playing a strong team at a venue where they have not last this season, but given they have ambitions of challenging for silverware in the future as the team grows, this quality of the opposition should provide a good measuring gauge of where they stand currently.
Indeed, if the Stormers did somehow win against this Leinster team without Reinach, Mngomezulu and wing Seabelo Senatla, and prior to the arrival of the likes of Cheslin Kolbe, Siya Kolisi and Wilco Louw, it would be a massive confidence boost. Therein lies the opportunity in a game they shouldn’t be expected to win.
The Stormers team will be announced on Friday.
Leinster team to play the Stormers (caps in brackets): Hugo Keenan (84), Jimmy O'Brien (119), Rieko Ioane (16), Jamie Osborne (75), James Lowe (100), Sam Prendergast (50), Jamison Gibson-Park (172), Caelan Doris (107 - captain), Josh van der Flier (174), Max Deegan (159), James Ryan (110), Joe McCarthy (64), Thomas Clarkson (78), Ronan Kelleher (93), Andrew Porter (149).
Replacements: Gus McCarthy (30), Alex Usanov (8), Rabah Slimani (37), Diarmuid Mangan (29), Jack Conan (178), Luke McGrath (255), Harry Byrne (92), Garry Ringrose (149).