DHL Stormers bolstered for Origin Round coastal derby
The DHL Stormers will welcome back Evan Roos, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Salmaan Moerat from injury for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
The two coastal teams square off at 17h05 on Saturday in the first Vodacom United Rugby Championship Origin Round, in which the players’ rugby roots will be remembered and celebrated.
Rounds 10 and 11 of the inter-hemisphere showpiece will be dedicated to unearthing, showcasing, and celebrating the diverse backgrounds and locations of the Vodacom URC playing group, with the players set to wear their school or club socks, while fans attending the games are also encouraged to wear their school or club jerseys or socks.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu will start at inside centre alongside his former Bishops teammate Suleiman Hartzenberg, with Dan du Plessis ruled out with an ankle niggle picked up at training this week.
Flyhalf Jurie Matthee will make his first Vodacom United Rugby Championship appearance, having made his DHL Stormers debut in the Investec Champions Cup against Leicester Tigers in December.
Roos will start on the side of the scrum, with Hacjivah Dayimani at No.8 and Marcel Theunissen rounding out the loose trio.
Neethling Fouche will lead the team from the front row, with Joseph Dweba and Ali Vermaak alongside him.
Moerat makes his return from a shoulder injury on a replacements bench which also features Wandisile Simelane, who will make his DHL Stormers debut when he takes the field.
Head Coach John Dobson said that after a month’s break, it will be vital to find some fluency as a group as quickly as possible.
“The break was good for us and it is fantastic to welcome back some top players from injury.
“We go straight into a big derby game away from home, so we understand the size of the task we face in Durban and hopefully we will be able to hit our straps as quickly as possible,” he said.
DHL Stormers (School attended): 15 Warrick Gelant (Hoerskool Outeniqua), 14 Ben Loader (Wellington College), 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg (Bishops), 12 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Bishops), 11 Leolin Zas (Hermanus High), 10 Jurie Matthee (Paarl Gim), 9 Paul de Wet (Paarl Boys), 8 Hacjivah Dayimani (Jeppe), 7 Evan Roos (Paarl Boys), 6 Marcel Theunissen (Grey College), 5 Ruben van Heerden (Affies), 4 Adre Smith (Oakdale), 3 Neethling Fouche (captain, Grey College), 2 Joseph Dweba (HTS Louis Botha), 1 Ali Vermaak (Hentie Cilliers).
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter (Grey College), 17 Sti Sithole (Westville), 18 Brok Harris (Bastion), 19 Salmaan Moerat (Paarl Boys), 20 Ben-Jason Dixon (Paul Roos), 21 Herschel Jantjies (Paul Roos), 22 Wandisile Simelane (Jeppe), 23 Angelo Davids (Stellenberg).
