Hooker JJ Kotzé will play his 50th match for the DHL Stormers in the Vodacom URC Origin Round clash with the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Following a mid-season break, the DHL Stormers will be back in action, with kick-off at 14h30 on Saturday at Ellis Park.
The 25-year-old Kotzé made his debut against Edinburgh in late 2021 and would go on to start in the Vodacom URC Grand Final that season as the DHL Stormers claimed the inaugural title.
He starts alongside props Ntuthuko Mchunu and Sazi Sandi, with André-Hugo Venter, Vernon Matongo and Zachary Porthen on the replacements bench.
JD Schickerling takes over the captaincy and is joined in the second row by Adré Smith, while the loose trio of Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon and Evan Roos play their eighth match together as a starting combination.
Connor Evans, Marcel Theunissen and Hacjivah Dayimani are all set to make an impact in the second half.
There are two changes to the backline that did duty in the last Vodacom URC derby in Durban in late January as Warrick Gelant is back at fullback and Stefan Ungerer starts at scrumhalf in place of Cobus Reinach, who is recovering from surgery. Imad Khan and Jurie Matthee are the two backline replacements.
Director of Rugby John Dobson said that after putting the break to good use, his team is raring to go.
“It was good for the players to get a short break and since coming back together, we have done some really valuable work which we feel will stand us in good stead for the second half of the season.
“It is another South African derby this weekend against a Lions team that has shown some good form lately, so we will need to be as sharp as possible to get the result,” he said.
Dobson paid tribute to Kotzé, who has been a central figure in the squad since making his debut.
“JJ is someone who grew up supporting this team and while earning 50 caps, also managed to qualify as a physiotherapist. He is an impressive young man who has earned the respect of his teammates and opponents,” he said.
DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant (Outeniqua), 14 Dylan Maart (Klein Nederburg), 13 Wandisile Simelane (Jeppe), 12 Jonathan Roche (Bishops), 11 Leolin Zas (Hermanus), 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Bishops), 9 Stefan Ungerer (Maritzburg College), 8 Evan Roos (Paarl Boys), 7 Ben-Jason Dixon (Paul Roos), 6 Paul de Villiers (Oakdale), 5 JD Schickerling (Paarl Gim – captain), 4 Adré Smith (Oakdale), 3 Sazi Sandi (St Andrews), 2 JJ Kotzé (Paul Roos), 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu (Maritzburg College).
Replacements: 16 André-Hugo Venter (Grey College), 17 Vernon Matongo (Northwood), 18 Zachary Porthen (Wynberg), 19 Connor Evans (Bishops), 20 Marcel Theunissen (Grey College), Hacjivah Dayimani (Jeppe), 22 Imad Khan (Bishops), 23 Jurie Matthee (Paarl Gim).
