Moerat leads as trio of Boks bolster Stormers

The DHL Stormers team to play their eighth Vodacom United Rugby Championship game of the season against the Dragons at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium has been boosted by the return of three Springboks who have played international rugby over the past few weeks.

Salmaan Moerat, a starter in the Bok second row against Italy in Genoa a fortnight ago, will lead the side, with Marvin Orie, now on a run of games as an international starter, alongside him. Manie Libbok, on the bench last week at Twickenham and also against France and Italy, will return to the No 10 jersey, with Kade Wolhuter, so impressive against the Scarlets last week, backing him up.

Another Bok, flanker Deon Fourie, returns to rugby with the Stormers by playing off the bench against the Dragons, while fellow veteran Brok Harris is back from playing for the Barbarians and will be one of the backup props on the bench.

Harris will know Saturday’s opponents well as he played several years of rugby for them and was a cult hero in Newport before returning to the Cape.

The Stormers have been further bolstered this week by the return of Ruhan Nel to the No 13 jersey, while Tristan Leyds gets to play his first game of the season on the wing as coach John Dobson continues to use this phase of the URC campaign to spread his depth.

Herschel Jantjies returns to the No 9 jersey in a rotation move with Paul de Wet so the Stormers now have an all-Bok halfback pairing playing for them. In further changes from the team that beat Scarlets last week, Kwenzo Blose is in at loosehead prop for Ali Vermaak and Willie Engelbrecht comes into the starting team after sitting on the bench, as does Nama Xaba.

With Xaba and Fourie both in the match day squad, the Stormers are certainly not short of ball-scavenging openside flanks.

DHL Stormers team: Clayton Blommetjies, Tristan Leyds, Ruhan Nel, Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas, Manie Libbok, Herschel Jantjies, Hacjivah Dayimani, Willie Engelbrecht, Nama Xaba, Marvin Orie, Salmaan Moerat (captain), Neethling Fouche, Joseph Dweba, Kwenzo Blose. Replacements: JJ Kotze, Brok Harris, Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, Connor Evans, Deon Fourie, Paul de Wet, Kade Wolhuter, Mnombo Zwelendaba.