There are four changes to the starting XV as Frans Malherbe earns his 150th Stormers cap in the Vodacom URC derby against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Springbok tighthead Malherbe will become just the second player to reach the Stormers milestone, following fellow prop Brok Harris.
There are two changes to the Stormers pack and both come in the front row, with Malherbe joined by a fit-again Ali Vermaak and hooker JJ Kotze. Tighthead prop Neethling Fouche makes his return via the replacements bench, having recovered from a concussion.
In the backline, World Cup winner Herschel Jantjies comes in at scrumhalf in place of Stefan Ungerer, while Angelo Davids deputises for left wing Leolin Zas, who is ruled out due to illness.
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“Frans made his Stormers debut 14 years ago and has achieved so much in that time,” director of rugby John Dobson said. “It is very rare these days to see someone play that long for one team, especially a player of his stature.
“He has the respect of everyone he plays with and against and his contribution to this team over the years has been immense,” he said.
Dobson added that his team understands the magnitude of the challenge that awaits them at Ellis Park.
“We have opted for continuity this weekend and hopefully that will see us improve our performance. We will need to be at our best as it is always tough to win up on the highveld, especially with an afternoon kickoff.”
STORMERS – 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c), 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Ali Vermaak.Bench: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Gary Porter, 20 Paul de Villiers, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Jonathan Roche.
Our team for the @Vodacom #URC Origin Round clash in Joburg on Saturday.
Team announcement #iamastormer #OriginRound pic.twitter.com/nR3vpCt8u8
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) February 14, 2025
Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
