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The Stormers have named 11 Springboks in their squad for Saturday’s game United Rugby Championship derby vs Sharks in Cape Town.
Seven of them were involved in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, six of whom will make their first Stormers appearances of the season, with Damian Willemse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach and Wilco Louw all starting.
Siya Kolisi, who returned to Stormers duty last weekend, moves to blindside flank while Paul de Villiers returns to the starting XV, while Hacjivah Dayimani continues in the No.8 position.
Louw will make his first Stormers appearance since 2020, while Adré Smith earns his first start of the season and Haashim Pead is set to make his senior Stormers debut off the bench.
The Stormers will also wear their new black kit for the first time, a throwback to the franchise’s 1999 Men in Black campaign.
Director of Rugby John Dobson said: “It’s fantastic to be able to name a squad like this which is full of exceptional talent, from Deon Fourie with 141 DHL Stormers to Haashim Pead making his first appearance for us.
“It was really encouraging to see the way the players returning from international duty stepped up this week and contributed greatly to our preparations. It was a tough squad to pick with a lot of quality players missing.
“This weekend we also play our first match in the new men’s black kit, which is a great nod to our past and something that resonates deeply with our fans.
“It will be a fantastic occasion at the DHL Stadium on Saturday, apart from the typically intense rugby. We hope our fans will turn out in their numbers to enjoy every moment with us.”
Stormers XV: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas; 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach; 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 2 Andre-Hugo Venter, 3 Wilco Louw, 4 Adré Smith, 5 JD Schickerling, 6 Paul de Villiers, 7 Siya Kolisi, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Evan Roos, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
