With the Stormers now in the pole position to try and win the South African conference, their attention now turns to a home playoff, and they will want to take another step towards this by beating a tough Glasgow team tonight at 18h30 at the Cape Town Stadium.
The Stormers have won their last five United Rugby Championship matches since their 17-19 defeat at Connacht on 26 February and their only home defeat this season came when Emirates Lions were the visitors to Cape Town Stadium on 4 December.
While the Stormers have only played Edinburgh thus far, a 20-all draw in the Scottish capital will give them a lot of confidence going into this game.
But Glasgow is not to be underestimated. They’ve only lost two of their last eight matches in the competition and are unbeaten since September 2019 against South African opposition when they lost to the Cheetahs.
Glasgow’s away record, however, isn’t very good, and they have only won away from home twice - at Zebre in Round 4 and Connacht in Round 11.
A loss against the Stormers though could see them lose the chance of hosting a playoff, especially as they sit in the third spot currently, with the Stormers fifth, underlining what an appetising fixture this is.
There are just two changes to the DHL Stormers' starting line-up.
Both changes to the starting team come in the forward pack, with Frans Malherbe at tighthead prop and Junior Pokomela on the flank in place of Deon Fourie, who has not yet completely recovered from a minor leg injury.
Lock Salmaan Moerat and fullback Warrick Gelant will both make their return from injury from the bench, with front-row forwards Ali Vermaak and JJ Kotze also among the replacements.
DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that his team are looking forward to playing in front of the Faithful again.
“Our last match was a special occasion with an incredible atmosphere at DHL Stadium, so we are all really looking forward to getting back into it after a short break.
“It is fantastic to welcome back the likes of Salmaan and Warrick, while also keeping some continuity in the team.
“We know that we are in for another real test, so the focus is on taking another step-up on Friday,” he said.
Ali Price will lead Glasgow Warriors in the crucial United Rugby Championship clash.
The scrum-half is part of a lineup showing five changes from last weekend’s 27-17 victory over Newcastle Falcons, with the Warriors knowing that a win over tomorrow’s hosts would secure them a place in the URC knockout stages.
Having started on the bench in Newcastle, British and Irish Lions tight-head Zander Fagerson is promoted to the starting XV to join Oli Kebble, who takes on his former team for the first time, and Johnny Matthews in the front-row.
Kiran McDonald comes into the second-row in place of the injured Scott Cummings, with the league leader in lineout steals, Richie Gray, continuing in the engine room.
Rory Darge is the only survivor from the back-row that started at Kingston Park last time out, as Ally Miller and Jack Dempsey complete the breakaway trio.
The only change to the back division comes in the back three as Ollie Smith comes into the starting XV to replace Sebastian Cancelliere, meaning Josh McKay shifts out to the wing to join last week’s Player of the Match, Kyle Steyn.
Jamie Dobie returns to the matchday 23 after missing the meeting with the Falcons, as he plays his first match in South Africa since making his Glasgow Warriors debut in 2019.
Simon Berghan rotate to the bench after starting last time out, joining fellow Scotland internationals George Turner and Jamie Bhatti as the front-row cover.
The vastly experienced figure of Rob Harley wears the number 19 jersey, whilst Thomas Gordon lines up amongst the replacements after an all-action return from injury last weekend.
Duncan Weir covers fly-half, with Cole Forbes returning to the matchday 23 to round out the replacements.
Speaking following selection, Head Coach Wilson told glasgowwarriors.org: “After a strong showing against Newcastle last weekend, we’re looking forward to another challenging test against the Stormers tomorrow night.
“With four players returning to the squad we know we’ll need to be at our best against a strong Stormers team.
“The Stormers will name a very strong team with an abundance of pace and a strong forward pack. Despite having a limited training week, due to travel, the boy are fresh and looking forward to taking them on in Cape Town.”
Weather: 17° with 30km/h SSE wind, cloudy with 60% humidity with no rain.
Prediction: DHL Stormers by 15
Teams:
DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Junior Pokomela, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain). Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Nama Xaba, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Warrick Gelant.
Glasgow Warriors: 15. Ollie Smith, 14. Josh McKay, 13. Sione Tuipulotu, 12. Sam Johnson, 11. Kyle Steyn, 10. Ross Thompson, 9. Ali Price (c), 8. Jack Dempsey, 7. Rory Darge, 5. Kiran McDonald, 4. Richie Gray, 3. Zander Fagerson, 2. Johnny Matthews, 1. Oli Kebble. Replacements: 16. George Turner, 17. Jamie Bhatti, 8. Simon Berghan, 19. Rob Harley, 20. Thomas Gordon, 21. Jamie Dobie, 22. Duncan Weir, 23. Cole Forbes.