Roberts on debut for DHL Stormers
Wales and British and Irish Lions international Jamie Roberts will make his DHL Stormers debut alongside 10 Springboks named in the matchday squad for the opening round Vodacom Super Rugby encounter with the Hurricanes at DHL Newlands on Saturday.
Roberts will start at inside centre, with fellow midfielder Rikus Pretorius, who is 12 years his junior, also set to make his DHL Stormers debut from the replacements bench.
There are seven World Cup winners in the starting XV, with captain Siya Kolisi set to wear the No.8 jersey when he leads the team out for kick-off at 15h05 on Saturday, to start the last Vodacom Super Rugby season at DHL Newlands.
The Hurricanes last visited DHL Newlands in 2014, when a late try secured a dramatic one-point win for the DHL Stormers.
The last time the two teams played the opening game of the season was at DHL Newlands in 2012, when Kolisi made a try-scoring debut off the replacements bench.
DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that following a busy pre-season, his team are determined to make a convincing start to their campaign in front of the DHL Newlands Faithful.
“We are very excited about the team that we are putting out this weekend and the potential for us to make a good start to the last season at DHL Newlands.
“We want to play the kind of rugby that will make our supporters smile and that starts on Saturday against the Hurricanes,” he said.
Tickets for the first four games of the 2020 Vodacom Super Rugby season at DHL Newlands against the Hurricanes, Vodacom Bulls, Jaguares and Blues are on sale from wprugby.computicket.com or any Computicket outlet.
DHL Stormers: 15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Jamie Roberts (DHL Stormers debut), 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Siya Kolisi (captain), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Jaco Coetzee, 5 Chris van Zyl, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 David Meihuizen, 20 Ernst van Rhyn, 21 Johan du Toit, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Rikus Pretorius (DHL Stormers debut).
