The South African Vodacom United Rugby Championship franchises will be wary of the fact that a massive effort will be required to topple the opposition in crucial matches for their playoff hopes when they return to the field in the big north versus south showpiece this weekend. The DHL Stormers will face Leinster in the weekend openar in Dublin o Friday at 21:35 (SA Time)
The clash between Leinster and the DHL Stormers is expected to serve as a good benchmark for where the teams lie a few weeks out from the quarter-finals, as both sides will want to build winning momentum going into the closing stages of the competition.
With the Irish giants boasting a 12-point lead on the standings over the Capetonians, the pressure will be squarely on the visitors. What’s more, the DHL Stormers can feel the heat from Ulster, who are chomping at the bit to work themselves into the best position to possibly claim a home semi-final if they were to progress to the top four.
Leinster will bank on their home ground advantage and superior attack and defence in the first 15 rounds of the competition to give them an edge, but with everything to play for and the Cape side coming off morale boosting back-to-back wins, they will have all the motivation they need to deliver a top-class performance.
Leinster's Rob Russell replaces the injured Jamie Osborne in the only personnel change from the bonus point win over Edinburgh earlier this month. Ciarán Frawley moves from full-back to inside centre, with Jordan Larmour moving from the wing to full-back.
Dave Kearney joins Russell and Larmour in the back three, with Liam Turner partnering Frawley in the centre.
Harry Byrne and Luke McGrath continue their partnership at half-back.
The pack remains unchanged from the win in the Scottish capital. Michael Milne, John McKee and Michael Ala’alatoa retain their places in the front row.
Ross Molony is partnered by Jason Jenkins in the second row, with captain Rhys Ruddock, Scott Penny and Max Deegan retaining their places in the back-row.
On the bench, there is a welcome return from injury for Ed Byrne (pictured below, centre), who looks set to make his first appearance of 2023.
The DHL Stormers welcome back a host of Springboks. Captain Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Marvin Orie and Damian Willemse all make their return.
Willemse is joined in midfield by Dan du Plessis, while Paul de Wet partners Manie Libbok at halfback with Herschel Jantjies and Jean-Luc du Plessis on the replacements bench.
Hacjivah Dayimani is also back in the starting line-up at No.8, with Deon Fourie and Ben-Jason Dixon on the flanks. Orie will link up with Ruben van Heerden in the second row while Kitshoff and Malherbe will be on either side of hooker Joseph Dweba at scrum time.
DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that his team is looking forward to testing themselves in Dublin.
“It is great to have these Boks back in the mix this week and we are looking forward to seeing what they bring in what will be a tough game away from home.
“It has been some time since some of these players featured for us, so hopefully the game time will stand them all in good stead as we head towards the end of the season,” he said.
Teams:
Leinster: 15. Jordan Larmour, 14. Rob Russell, 13. Liam Turner, 12. Ciarán Frawley, 11. Dave Kearney, 10. Harry Byrne, 9. Luke McGrath, 8. Max Deegan, 7. Scott Penny, 6. Rhys Ruddock (c), 5. Jason Jenkins, 4. Ross Molony, 3. Michael Ala’alatoa, 2. John McKee, 1. Michael Milne. Replacements: 16. Lee Barron, 17. Ed Byrne, 18. Vakhtang Abdaladze, 19. Brian Deeny, 20. Will Connors, 21. Nick McCarthy, 22. Charlie Tector, 23. Ben Brownlee.
DHL Stormers: 15. Clayton Blommetjies, 14. Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13. Dan du Plessis, 12. Damian Willemse, 11. Seabelo Senatla, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Paul de Wet, 8. Hacjivah Dayimani, 7. Ben-Jason Dixon, 6. Deon Fourie, 5. Marvin Orie, 4. Ruben van Heerden, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Joseph Dweba, 1. Steven Kitshoff (c). Replacements: 16. JJ Kotze, 17. Brok Harris, 18. Neethling Fouche, 19. Ernst van Rhyn, 20. Willie Engelbrecht, 21. Marcel Theunissen, 22. Herschel Jantjies, 23. Jean-Luc du Plessis.