The DHL Stormers will enter their clash against the seventh-placed Ospreys as the favourites in Cape Town on Saturday at 19:15 (SA Time), but they will be careful to write off the Welsh side, who only trail them by two log positions and four points.
Looking at the statistics, the match could prove to be a humdinger as the Capetonians have only scored 26 more points than their rivals in the competition so far, while the teams are not far off from one another on defence.
That said, Ospreys will be mindful of the fact that the DHL Stormers have an impressive home record this season of six wins out of six, and with their passionate supporters behind them once again, the visitors will face a big task mentally and physically.
Experienced prop Frans Malherbe will captain the DHL Stormers. There were several changes made to the DHL Stormers team.
Malherbe will pack down in the front row alongside hooker JJ Kotze and Brok Harris, who is the only player in the current squad with more DHL Stormers caps than the skipper.
Gary Porter and Adre Smith form an all-new second row, while Evan Roos is joined by flanks Nama Xaba and Hacjivah Dayimani in the loose trio.
There are six forwards on the replacements bench as hooker Scarra Ntubeni and props Sazi Sandi and Kwenzo Blose come into the mix, with Ruben van Heerden also set to provide an impact in the second half along with loose forwards Willie Engelbrecht and Marcel Theunissen.
Scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer will link up with Manie Libbok at halfback, while the centre partnership of Dan du Plessis and Wandisile Simelane which impressed against Edinburgh earlier in the season is reunited.
Fullback Warrick Gelant will have wings Ben Loader and Suleiman Hartzenberg outside him, while Paul de Wet and Damian Willemse are set to be unleashed from the bench in the second half.
DHL Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said that this match is vital for his team in the context of the season.
“We are getting closer to the play-offs, which means that every match becomes our most important and we will certainly be treating this game that way.
“We will have a few exciting combinations out there and they will need to fire from the first whistle if we are to get the result we need against a highly competitive Ospreys side.
“It promises to be another great night at DHL Stadium and we can’t wait to see our fans out there again,” he said.
The Ospreys have named their squad to face the DHL Stormers with Morgan Morris set to captain the side.
Nicky Smith starts at loosehead, with Sam Parry lining up at hooker and Rhys Henry at tighthead completing the front three.
Victor Sekekete partners with Huw Sutton at lock. James Ratti lines up at six, with Harri Deaves on the other flank and Morgan Morris starting at eight.
Reuben Morgan-Williams gets the start at scrum half, with Dan Edwards partnering him at 10. Owen Watkin lines up at inside centre with Keiran Williams taking up the 13 jersey.
In the back three, Max Nagy starts at full back, with Keelan Giles on one wing and Luke Morgan on the other.
Teams:
DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Ben Loader, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Nama Xaba, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Adre Smith, 3 Frans Malherbe (c), 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Brok Harris. Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Kwenzo Blose, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Ruben van Heerden, 20 Willie Engelbrecht, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Damian Willemse.
Ospreys: 15 Max Nagy, 14 Luke Morgan, 13 Keiran Williams, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Morgan Morris (c), 7 Harri Deaves, 6 James Ratti, 5 Huw Sutton, 4 Victor Sekekete, 3 Rhys Henry, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Nicky Smith. Replacements: 16 Lewis Lloyd, 17 Garyn Phillips, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Jeandre Rudolph, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Jack Walsh, 23 Evardi Boshoff.