The DHL Stormers and Connacht will kick off the URC top-four action at the DHL Stadium at 16h00 on Saturday.
The DHL Stormers will enter the clash in the Mother City as favourites with home-ground advantage, form and statistics counting in their favour. Connacht will also be wary of the defending champions’ impressive track record at home, where they have lost only twice in 22 home matches in the last two seasons.
The DHL Stormers boast a significantly better attacking record with 564 points scored this season to Connacht’s 471, but the team’s defensive statistics are more closely matched, with the Cape side conceding 412 points to 436 by the Irish outfit.
The hosts will also draw inspiration from the fact that they registered a comfortable 38-15 victory against the visitors at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch in the pool stages. Interestingly this will mark Connacht’s first visit to the DHL Stadium, as the teams’ last two outings were in Stellenbosch and Galway respectively.
The visitors, in turn, who finished the pool stages in seventh place, will enter the clash with the mindset that nothing is impossible after defying the odds to beat the second-placed Ulster away last week in the quarter-final to advance to the top four.
This victory came after a morale-boosting run of winning six of their last seven league games to qualify for the playoffs, while they will also draw some confidence from the fact that they defeated the DHL Stormers 19-17 in a tight match in Galway last season.
The fact of the matter for both teams is that the winner will advance to the final, while the loser will drop out of the competition, meaning neither of them will leave anything to chance, which sets the scene for a gripping encounter.
There are two injury-enforced changes to the DHL Stormers starting line-up for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship semifinal at DHL Stadium on Saturday.
With Deon Fourie and Marvin Orie ruled out, Willie Engelbrecht will start on the flank and Ben-Jason Dixon comes in at lock for the knock-out clash with Irish side Connacht, which kicks off at 16h00 on Saturday.
There are three new faces on the replacement bench, with lock Connor Evans, flank Marcel Theunissen and utility back Jean-Luc du Plessis included for the semifinal.
DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that his team is ready to give their all on Saturday.
“We are thrilled to be hosting another semifinal and with another big crowd coming out, we want to repay the incredible support we enjoy with a fitting performance.
“While it is disappointing not to have Deon and Marvin in the team, we have every confidence in the players who have come in, who have all proven their worth for us already this season.
“It will be another great occasion at DHL Stadium and we will be doing everything we can to make our supporters proud,” he said.
After last week’s historic win in Belfast, Connacht coaches Pete Wilkins & Andy Friend have stuck with the same starters and replacements after the squad came through the game without any injuries.
Jack Carty captains the side, while it’ll be a 99th appearance for Tom Farrell, and Jack Aungier will earn his 50th cap for the province if called upon from the bench.
A win for Connacht would see them reach a major final for the second time in their history, after the PRO12 success of 2016, with the decider taking place at either Aviva Stadium or Thomond Park on Saturday May 27th.
Director of Rugby Andy Friend said during a prematch interview said: “Last Friday night, to anyone outside the squad, we were the clear underdogs, and tomorrow will be no different. Yet for us on the inside, there is enormous belief in our ability, and that is all that matters."
"We enter the semi-final with the same 23 who started last week, which is a great testament to our players’ toughness and resilience, and also to the work of our Athletic Performance & Medical Teams. All bodies are fit & healthy and have fully recovered from the travel down here to Cape Town."
"Tomorrow will be a huge game as we take on the defending champions in their own backyard, but these are the days you want to be involved in. Pete Wilkins and the other coaches have presented a very clever game plan, and with the confidence that's in the squad at present, there's genuine excitement about the challenge and opportunity that tomorrow brings."
Teams:
DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Willie Engelbrecht, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Ben-Jason Dixon, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (c). Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 John Porch, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Mack Hansen, 10 Jack Carty (c), 9 Caolin Blade, 8 Cian Prendergast, 7 Conor Oliver, 6 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 5 Niall Murray, 4 Josh Murphy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan, 1 Denis Buckley. Replacements: 16 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 17 Jordan Duggan, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Oisín Dowling, 20 Jarrad Butler, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Tom Daly, 23 Byron Ralston.