New captain for Stormers
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Stormers head coach John Dobson has made several changes as his team seeks to bounce back when they face the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Hooker JJ Kotzé will play his 50th match for the Stormers in the URC Origin Round clash in Johannesburg.
The 25-year-old Kotzé made his debut against Edinburgh in late 2021 and would go on to start in the URC Grand Final that season as the 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 from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. He 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 sixth match together.
Connor Evans, Marcel Theunissen and Hacjivah Dayimani are all set to make an impact in the second half.
The only change to the backline that did duty in the last URC derby in Durban in late January sees Stefan Ungerer start 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.
Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling (captain), 4 Adré Smith, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 JJ Kotzé, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 André-Hugo Venter, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Marcel Theunissen, Hacjivah Dayimani, 22 Imad Khan, 23 Jurie Matthee.
Date: Saturday, February 28
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 14.30 (12.30 GMT)
Referee: Christopher Allison (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa) & Stephen Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
