Durban — Consistency is king for Stormers coach John Dobson and he has made just one (forced) change to his team to host the Lions in a New Year’s Eve United Rugby Championship clash at the DHL Stadium.
The Stormers have a golden opportunity to finish the year unbeaten on their home turf and with a festive crowd expected, Dobson is not messing around with his selection.
The only change to the side that last week dismantled the Bulls with relative ease is at tighthead prop where injured Frans Malherbe is replaced by the accomplished Neethling Fouche.
Hooker Andre-Hugo Venter and props Brok Harris and Sazi Sandi have been included among the replacements for the encounter with the Johannesburg side that were well beaten last week in Durban.
“We were obviously pleased with the result last week in front of what was an incredible crowd (of 30 000) at the DHL Stadium,” said Dobson. “We feel that with a bit more time together, these combinations can perform even better.
“We have challenged the players to end the year on a high and reward the fans who come out to watch us on New Year's Eve.
“These derby games are so important for our standing in the South African Shield, so we want to make another step up this weekend,” he said.
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ben-Jason Dixon, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Clayton Blommetjies.
IOL Sport