Young centre Markus Muller will make his first United Rugby Championship start for the Stormers against the Scarlets on Saturday. Haashim Pead will also start at scrumhalf for the first time.
The match will be played at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, with kickoff at 4pm. Flank Paul de Villiers will again captain the side.
“We have four players in Markus Muller, Riley Norton, Olly Reid, and Yaqeen Ahmed who are young enough to be playing for the DHL Stormers Bolts, alongside stalwarts like Deon Fourie, who is the second most-capped player of all time for this club,” said Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson.
De Villiers took over the captaincy last week. Centre Ruhan Nel was withdrawn from the squad before the Champions Cup match against Bristol Bears.
Nel is still resting as a precaution. That gives Muller his chance at inside centre, where he will play next to Wandisile Simelane in midfield.
The squad mixes young players with Springbok experience. De Villiers is one of four former Junior Springbok captains in the 23. The others are Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Experienced player Warrick Gelant starts at fullback. Seabelo Senatla is on the right wing and Leolin Zas is on the left. Feinberg-Mngomezulu plays at flyhalf.
Hacjivah Dayimani returns at No 8 after recovering from concussion. His return means Evan Roos moves to blindside flank.
The Stormers have a completely new lock pairing. Norton will play alongside Connor Evans, with JD Schickerling and Adré Smith set to come off the bench.
The front row is made up entirely of Springboks. Porthen, André-Hugo Venter and Ntuthuko Mchunu will start, with Olly Reid, Lukhanyo Vokozela and Neethling Fouché on the bench.
International scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and young player Yaqeen Ahmed are among the replacements. They are expected to add impact in the second half. Deon Fourie is also on the bench.
The Stormers want to keep their unbeaten record against the Welsh side. Dobson said he was confident in the lineup.
“There are some really dynamic combinations both in the starting lineup and on the replacements bench, and they will all be tested against a Scarlets team that has made an impressive start to the season,” Dobson said.
“We have enjoyed great support this month and everyone is looking forward to an electric atmosphere at DHL Stadium,” he added.
The full starting team is Gelant, Senatla, Simelane, Muller, Zas, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Pead, Dayimani, Roos, De Villiers, Evans, Norton, Porthen, Venter and Mchunu.
The replacements are Vokozela, Reid, Fouché, Smith, Schickerling, Fourie, Reinach and Ahmed.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.