Suleiman Hartzenberg will make his return to the Stormers side at outside centre on Friday evening with director of rugby John Dobson shuffling his team for the clash against Ulster in Belfast to keep players fresh for the last four matches at home.
The outside back returns from a broken hand and is one of several changes to the side for the United Rugby Championship (URC) duel at the Kingspan Stadium (9.35 pm start). Fullback fullback Warrick Gelant, captain Salmaan Moerat, and Frans Malherbe are the notable players taking a breather after standout performances last weekend.
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Returning after the birth of his second child, tighthead prop Neethling Fouche is back in the starting lineup in the absence of Malherbe and will captain the side. Another surprise by Dobson was selecting veteran Dewaldt Duvenage as the scrumhalf ahead of the departing Paul de Wet, with the latter occupying the bench alongside flyhalf Jurie Matthee and utility back Wandisile Simelane.
Springbok utility back Damian Willemse starts for the first time in several months and claimed the fullback jersey from the mercurial Gelant, while loose forward Dave Ewers and lock Connor Evans are the changes up front for the concussed Deon Fourie and Moerat.
Dobson said his team is keen to build on the momentum they’ve gained in their last two URC games.
“After winning at Loftus Versfeld and then in Llanelli last week, we know that it will be crucial to carry that momentum into our run of four home matches. It is always a fierce contest against Ulster, and we know that we will have to be on our game for the entire 80 minutes to get the result we want.”
Stormers XV: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Marcel Theunissen, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Connor Evans, 3 Neethling Fouché (captain), 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ali Vermaak. Bench: 16 André-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Gary Porter, 20 Willie Engelbrecht, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Jurie Matthee, 23 Wandisile Simelane.