A glimpse of Stormers' future without captain Kitshoff
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Lock Marvin Orie has been named captain of a 27-man Stormers squad for their United Rugby Championship encounter with Ulster in Belfast on Friday.
The squad left Cape Town on Sunday, following a 30-16 win against Clermont at Cape Town Stadium, which secured their place in the Champions Cup Round of 16.
The focus now shifts back to the United Rugby Championship, in another short week which ends with the clash against Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on Friday night.
Orie leads a squad with a blend of youth and experience, in the absence of regular captain Steven Kitshoff who is being rested along with fellow Springbok Damian Willemse.
The tour is also an opportunity for Stormers’ management to evaluate the squad’s leadership given that Kitshoff will join Ulster at the end of the season.
New signing Ruben van Heerden joins the squad, as well as the experienced duo of hooker Scarra Ntubeni and centre Juan de Jongh, who make their return from injury absences.
#ICYMI: Brutal but total honesty from John Dobson https://t.co/xWwO4DoDFM
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) January 23, 2023
Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that there are a number of players in the squad who will be looking to make a big impression.
“We have some players missing due to resting protocols and injuries, but this is a squad full of talent and we are looking forward to seeing what they can do.
“We will not have a lot of training time this week, but everyone is looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
Stormers squad:
Forwards: Kwenzo Blose, Ben-Jason Dixon, Willie Engelbrecht, Connor Evans, Brok Harris, JJ Kotze, Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, Scarra Ntubeni, Marvin Orie (captain), Junior Pokomela, Evan Roos, Sazi Sandi, Marcel Theunissen, Ruben van Heerden, Andre-Hugo Venter, Ali Vermaak.
Backs: Clayton Blommetjies, Juan de Jongh, Jean-Luc du Plessis, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Herschel Jantjies, Imad Khan, Ruhan Nel, Cornel Smit, Stefan Ungerer, Kade Wolhuter.
Unavailable: Angelo Davids, Steven Kitshoff, Alapati Leuia, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat, Gary Porter, Seabelo Senatla, Adre Smith, Ernst van Rhyn, Damian Willemse, Nama Xaba, Leolin Zas.
