DHL Stormers will be keen to build on their strong starts to the season. They will kick off the action at the DHL Stadium on Friday at 19:00 (SA Time) against the Ospreys.
The DHL Stormers have a good record at home; they lost only once at DHL Stadium in last season’s Vodacom URC, and that was by a solitary point to the Vodacom Bulls in the opening round.
However, both their defeats against Welsh opponents since April 2024 came against the Ospreys, in Cape Town in April 2024 and in Bridgend in September 2024.
That victory in Cape Town last April, by 27-21, was the Ospreys’ only win in South Africa in the Vodacom URC since 2019. In fact, on Friday, the DHL Stormers will be looking for only their second win in their fifth clash against their Welsh visitors.
The DHL Stormers included Dewald Duvenhage in the starting line-up, and is the only change to the backline that did duty in the 35-00 win against defending champions Leinster in the opening round last week.
There are just two changes to the forward pack, which both come in the loose trio, as Marcel Theunissen and Connor Evans join No.8 Evan Roos at the back of the scrum, with Paul de Villiers and Ben-Jason Dixon set to make an impact in the second half.
Front row forwards Ali Vermaak and Sazi Sandi will both make their first appearance of the season in the only other changes on the replacements bench.
Dewi Lake will captain the Ospreys on Friday evening.
Gareth Thomas starts for the Ospreys at loosehead, with Dewi Lake lining up at hooker and Rhys Henry completing the front three. Rhys Davies and Huw Sutton start in the second row. James Ratti lines up at six, Harri Deaves takes up the other flank, and Ross Moriarty starts at eight.
Kieran Hardy starts at scrum half with Dan Edwards at 10. Keiran Williams partners with Phil Cokanasiga in the centre. In the back three, Jack Walsh starts at full back, with Keelan Giles on one wing and Dan Kasende on the other.
Teams:
DHL Stormers: 15 Wandisile Simelane, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Connor Evans, 6 Marcel Theunissen, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo. Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Ruben van Heerden, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Clinton Swart.
Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Dan Kasende, 13 Phil Cokanasiga, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Harri Deaves, 6 James Ratti, 5 Huw Sutton, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Rhys Henry, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Gareth Thomas. Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Cam Jones, 18 Tom Botha, 19 James Fender, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Tom Florence, 23 Lestyn Hopkins.