The DHL Stormers will host Connacht in Cape Town on Saturday at 13:45 in a round fifteen United Rugby Championship fixture.
The DHL Stormers are currently in second position on the standings (51 points), trailing log leaders the Glasgow Warriors by four points.
The DHL Stormers will enter their clash against Connacht as the overwhelming favourites on form and with home ground advantage counting in their favour. Fuelling their motivation, they will also be determined to deliver a top-class performance in memory of their team manager Chippie Solomon, who passed on last weekend.
The Capetonians have an impressive home win track record, suffering only one defeat on their home patch this season, while they also come off three successive victories – a run they will want to build on.
With 11 victories to only seven by Connacht so far this season, and the DHL Stormers boasting better attacking and defensive statistics than the opposition, they will back themselves to come out on top if they play to their potential.
The DHL Stormers starting line-up will feature 10 Springboks.
Up front hooker Scarra Ntubeni is joined by props Zachary Porthen and Ntuthuko Mchunu in an all-Bok front row. Ntubeni will retire at the end of the season after 15 years as a DHL Stormer.
JD Schickerling and Adré Smith continue as the lock pairing, with a fit-again Ruben van Heerden featuring on the replacements bench this week.
The loose forwards are also all Springboks, with Evan Roos joined by flanks Deon Fourie and Ben-Jason Dixon.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will start at flyhalf this weekend and link up with scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, in the only change to the backline that did duty in the narrow loss to Toulon in the Investec Champions Cup knock-out match a fortnight ago.
There is also plenty of quality on the replacements bench as Van Heerden is joined by forwards André-Hugo Venter, Oli Kebble, Neethling Fouché, Marcel Theunissen and Paul de Villiers, while Stefan Ungere and Wandisile Simelane will provide backline cover.
Connacht Rugby head coach Stuart Lancaster has named his matchday squad with six changes from the side that started away to Montpellier last week, with three making a welcome return from injuries. Sean Jansen, Dave Heffernan and Harry West all come straight into the starting XV after recovering from layoffs, while the other changes are the inclusion of lock David O’Connor, scrum-half Ben Murphy and centre John Devine.
Cian Prendergast captains the side in the #6 jersey, as part of a powerful-looking back row with Jansen and flanker Shamus Hurley-Langton. Darragh Murray partners with O’Connor in the second row, and the pack is completed by props Billy Bohan and Sam Illo.
Sean Naughton continues at out-half, while Shayne Bolton shifts to the left wing and, with Chay Mullins and Shane Jennings both unavailable due to injury, West is named in the opposite wing, Cathal Forde starts at inside centre with Devine alongside him, and Sam Gilbert completes the side from full-back.
There’s another welcome return among the replacements, with centre Hugh Gavin wearing the #23 jersey.
Teams
DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Damian Willemse, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Zachary Porthen, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu. Replacements: 16 André-Hugo Venter, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Ruben van Heerden, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
Connacht Rugby: 15 Sam Gilbert, 14 Harry West, 13 John Devine, 12 Cathal Forde, 11 Shayne Bolton, 10 Sean Naughton, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Cian Prendergast (captain), 5 Darragh Murray, 4 David O’Connor, 3 Sam Illo, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Billy Bohan. Replacements: 16 Matthew Victory, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Josh Murphy, 20 Paul Boyle, 21 Colm Reilly, 22 Jack Carty, 23 Hugh Gavin.