Stormers have a 'new' flyhalf
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Stormers coach John Dobson has made some significant changes to his team for their United Rugby Championship opener against Benetton in Treviso on Saturday.
Manie Libbok will make his Stormers debut at flyhalf at the Stadio Monigo.
Libbok will link up with scrumhalf Paul de Wet, while Stefan Ungerer is also set to make his Stormers debut from the replacements bench when he comes on for De Wet in the second half.
Rikus Pretorius and Ruhan Nel are in midfield, with Warrick Gelant, Sergeal Petersen and Edwill van der Merwe forming a dangerous back three.
In the forward pack, Springbok hooker Siyabonga Ntubeni will have Leon Lyons and Neethling Fouche either side of him, with Ernst van Rhyn and Salmaan Moerat in the second row.
Deon Fourie and Willie Engelbrecht are on the flanks, with Evan Roos starting at No.8 and Nama Xaba set to make an impact from the replacements bench.
Ntubeni, Moerat, Roos and Gelant are all making their return from injuries that saw them miss the final stages of the Currie Cup.
Stormers coach John Dobson said that his team are determined to get their campaign off to a positive start.
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“We have named a strong team for what we know will be a big challenge to start this exciting new era.
“It has been a great week together here in Treviso and we are looking forward to seeing what these combinations can do,” he said.
Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Salmaan Moerat, 4 Ernst van Rhyn, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Leon Lyons.
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Adre Smith, 20 Nama Xaba, 21 Stefan Ungerer, 22 Tim Swiel, 23 Juan de Jongh.
Date: Saturday, September 25
Venue: Stadio Comunable Di Monigo, Treviso
Kick-off: 14.00 (12.00 GMT)
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Federico Vedovelli (Italy), Alex Frasson (Italy)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
