There will be two DHL Stormers XVs in action in George on Friday in the last of their pre-season matches. The doubleheader will get underway at Outeniqua Park at 15h30 when the first DHL Stormers XV take on the SWD Eagles. A different combination will then take the field at 18h00 to face the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
The captain for the first game will be scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies, who leads a team with a balance of youth and experience.
Tighthead prop Neethling Fouche will captain the second DHL Stormers XV, which features a number of players who did not play against SWD last week.
DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that while there are a handful of players who will feature in both games, it is really encouraging to see the depth of the squad in putting out two strong teams on the same day.
“Our depth will be tested this season and we wanted to give all the players a chance to feel a part of the system and ensure they are ready for action when we get started in two weeks’ time.
“It has been a really constructive week here in the Southern Cape and we are looking forward to connecting with some of our supporters at Outeniqua Park again.
“We have every available player involved on Friday, so this should be a great way to see how we are shaping up before we get going with the Vodacom United Rugby Championship,” he said.
DHL Stormers XV v SWD Eagles: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Chris Hollis, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Herschel Jantjies (captain), 8 Marcel Theunissen, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Nama Xaba, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Hendre Stassen, 3 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 2 Andre-Hugo Venter, 1 Lizo Gqoboka. Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Leon Lyons, 19 Dylan Sjoblom, 20 Keenan Opperman, 21 Jarrod Taylor, 22 Tom Bursey, 23 Godlen Masimla 24 Brendan Venter, 25 Bingo Ivanesevic.
DHL Stormers XV v Hollywoodbets Sharks: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Courtnall Skosan, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Ben Loader, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Willie Engelbrecht, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Neethling Fouche (captain), 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Kwenzo Blose. Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 19 Hendre Stassen, 20 Jarrod Taylor, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 24 Clayton Blommetjies.