URC: ‘Men in Black’ Stormers welcome back star Springboks for Sharks derby | News24

Friday, 9 October

Glasgow Warriors v Connacht - 20:45

Dragons v Ospreys - 20:45

Saturday, 10 October

Bulls v Lions - 13:30

Stormers v Sharks - 16:00

Zebre v Edinburgh - 16:00

Scarlets v Benetton - 18:30

Ulster v Munster - 18:30

Leinster v Cardiff - 20:45

2h ago

‘Men in Black’ Stormers welcome back star Springboks for Sharks derby

Seven Springboks will play their first match for the Stormers this season in Saturday’s coastal derby against the Sharks in Cape Town.

Scrumhalf Haashim Pead, who recently joined from the Lions, is also set to make his Stormers debut off the bench in a match-day squad which includes 11 Springboks in total.

The Stormers will run out in their new black kit - a throwback to the iconic 1999 Men in Black campaign - for kick-off at 16:00 on Saturday.

There are three changes to the backline that started in the 17-13 away loss to Edinburgh, with Damian Willemse at fullback and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu linking up with Cobus Reinach at halfback.

Pead and Wandisile Simelane are the two backs among the replacements.

In the front row, Wilco Louw is set to earn his first Stormers cap since 2020, while Deon Fourie provides hooker cover and will sit alongside props Neethling Fouche and Vernon Matongo on the bench.

Lock Adre Smith comes into the starting line-up for the first time this season, while in the loose trio Paul de Villiers makes his return, which sees Siya Kolisi move to blindside flank.

Evan Roos and Riley Norton feature on a strong bench.

“It is fantastic to be able to name a team like this which is full of exceptional talents, from Deon Fourie with 141 Stormers caps through to Haashim Pead who makes his first appearance for us,” said Stormers director of John Dobson.

“It has been really encouraging to see the way the players returning from national duty have stepped up this week and added immensely to our preparations. It was a tough team to select with many quality players missing out.

“This weekend we also play our first match in the new Men in Black kit, which is a great nod to our past and something which resonates deeply with our fans.

“It is going to be a fantastic occasion at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, beyond the rugby which will be typically intense. We hope that our fans come out in their numbers to enjoy every moment with us.”

Stormers team:

15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Andre-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu

Substitutes: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Evan Roos, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane