A 29-man DHL Stormers squad left Cape Town on Tuesday for a three-match Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour which will see them visit Wales, Italy and Scotland.
The DHL Stormers get their season underway with a Round Two clash against Ospreys this week and will also take on Zebre Parma and Edinburgh before returning home to face Munster and Glasgow Warriors ahead of the November break.
The match against Ospreys on Saturday will be played at the Dunraven Brewery Field in Bridgend, before the squad heads to Parma for their second visit to the Stadio Lanfranchi, with the tour ending at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh on October 12.
The tour will mark the return of the likes of Ruhan Nel and Damian Willemse who ended last season on the injured list, while new signing Dave Ewers and promising loose forward Louw Nel are both in line to make their competitive debuts for the DHL Stormers. JD Schickerling and Dewaldt Duvenage have both worn the blue and white hoops on many occassions, but will be making their return after spells overseas.
Director of Rugby John Dobson said that his squad understands just how important this tour will be in the context of their season.
“It is vital that we make a positive start to this campaign and take some momentum into the home matches against Munster and Glasgow next month.
“We know how important it is in this competition to perform on the road, so we will give these three matches all we have.
“There are some new faces as well as a few old ones, but all of these players are hungry to make an impression in the DHL Stormers jersey over the next three weeks,” he said.
DHL Stormers touring squad: Adre Smith, Andre-Hugo Venter, Angelo Davids, Brok Harris, Damian Willemse, Dan du Plessis, Dave Ewers, Dewaldt Duvenage, Hendre Stassen, JD Schickerling, Jean-Luc du Plessis, JJ Kotze, Joseph Dweba, Jurie Matthee, Keke Morabe, Leolin Zas, Leon Lyons, Louw Nel, Marcel Theunissen, Neethling Fouche, Paul de Wet, Ruben van Heerden, Ruhan Nel, Sazi Sandi, Stefan Ungerer, Sti Sithole, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Wandisile Simelane, Warrick Gelant.