Van Zyl in line for DHL Stormers debut
Lock Chris van Zyl will make his DHL Stormers debut if he comes off the replacements bench in the Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Southern Kings at DHL Newlands on Saturday.
The hard-working Van Zyl has shown great form as captain of DHL Western Province this season, and is joined on the replacements bench by prop JC Janse van Rensburg and scrumhalf Jano Vermaak who both make a return from injury.
Huw Jones will start his first match of the season at outside centre in place of Daniel du Plessis who has been ruled out with concussion, and the only other change in the backline sees scrumhalf Louis Schreuder come into the starting line-up for Nic Groom who is being rested.
In the forward pack DHL Stormers half-centurion Rynhardt Elstadt starts at flank with Siya Kolisi set to provide impact off the replacements bench, Scarra Ntubeni comes in at hooker, and there are two new locks in JD Schickerling and Jean Kleyn, with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Eben Etzebeth being rested.
As winners of Africa Conference One, the DHL Stormers will be presented with their conference trophy after the clash with the Southern Kings, which kicks off at 17h05 on Saturday, but Head Coach Robbie Fleck said that their focus is solely on gaining as much momentum as possible ahead of the knock-out phase of the competition.
“It is great that we have won our conference before the last game of the regular season, but that does not mean we will compromise on intensity against the Southern Kings this weekend.
“We need to play our best rugby in order to take some meaningful momentum into the play-offs, so this is a vital match for us,” said Fleck.
DHL Stormers: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Schalk Burger (captain), 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Alistair Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 JP Smith, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Jano Vermaak, 22 Brandon Thomson, 23 Scott van Breda.
