The DHL Stormers Bolts will usher in a new era at DHL Stadium this Saturday at 12:00 SAST when they host Sharks GEN in their historic first-ever SA Rugby Under-20 Cup match.
There are five Junior Springbok U20 Junior World Champions in the wings: Jack Benade and Jordan Steenkamp, centre Samuel Badenhorst, scrumhalf Jayden Brits and flank Gert Kemp in the starting line-up.
Kemp, Brits and Steenkamp are also among a group of six players, along with centre Randall-John Davids, No.8 Quinton Potgieter and prop Zak Hickman, who are currently at the Stormers Rugby Institute.
The depth of the Stormers pathway is fully on display. Five elite prospects who remain age-eligible for the DHL Stormers Bolts have instead been called up to the senior team. Dylan Miller, Markus Muller, Tom Barnard, Altus Rabe, and Danie Kruger will instead feature for the DHL Stormers XXIII in the main Carling Currie Cup event.
Dynamic flank Aden da Costa will captain the young side as they look to mark their competitive debut with a statement victory on home turf.
Head Coach Van der Walt said that his squad is primed to embrace the magnitude of the moment: “We start a new era for the DHL Stormers Bolts at DHL Stadium, and this is something that these players have worked towards for some time. We are missing some players through injury, and others will be playing in the Carling Currie Cup game, but what we have is a team that is hungry to impress and make a positive start to our campaign.”
DHL Stormers Bolts: 15 Dawid Badenhorst, 14 Jack Benade, 13 Randall-John Davids, 12 Samuel Badenhorst, 11 Jordan Steenkamp, 10 Rayaan Solomons, 9 Jayden Brits, 8 Quinton Potgieter, 7 Aden da Costa (c), 6 Gert Kemp, 5 Dominic Sesink-Clee, 4 Alexander Smith, 3 Henry du Plessis, 2 Almero Keizer, 1 Zak Hickman. Replacements: 16 James Kobrowski, 17 Unaye Mndau, 18 Lukho Mtwana, 19 Ethan Combrink, 20 Wihan Kotze, 21 Tyrone Gombe, 22 Olunje Mehlomakulu, 23 Luca Potgieter.
