Stormers utility back Damian Willemse will be lining up at flyhalf when they take on Edinburgh in their URC match in Scotland on Saturday evening. Picture: Roberto Bregani/Gallo Images
Springbok utility back Damian Willemse will line up at flyhalf for the Stormers when they take on Edinburgh in their final United Rugby Championship (URC) tour match at the Hive Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 6:15pm), before heading back home to South Africa.
It has been a tough start to the current season for the Stormers, with a three match tour to the UK and Italy first up, which saw them go down 37-24 against Ospreys in Wales, before bouncing back with a 36-5 win over Zebre in Parma.
Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said that his team were targeting at least two wins from their tour, so they will need to deal Edinburgh their fourth straight loss of the season to achieve that.
With Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu out injured, and Manie Libbok not added to the Stormers tour squad after Bok duty, they have backed youngster Jurie Mathee in the number 10 jersey over the first two games.
But for this weekend’s clash Mathee drops out of the match 23, Willemse shifts from fullback to flyhalf and Warrick Gelant comes in for his first start of the season.
Loosehead prop Brok Harris, hooker Andre-Hugo Venter and wing Angelo Davids also all come in for their first starts, having played off the bench in previous games.
Their win over Zebre was crucial in picking them up after the disappointing Ospreys defeat and giving them some momentum to head into the match against Edinburgh.
The home side will be fired up and desperate for a win, having lost their opening three games, and the Stormers will have to match their intensity.
They will also want to head back to SA with good momentum off the back of two wins, as they have tricky home games against Munster and Glasgow Warriors to follow, before the competition breaks for the November internationals.
“We know how tough it is to win here in Edinburgh, so it will take a big effort to back up our win in Italy last week,” admitted Dobson.
“There are still a number of areas we would like to improve in, so this is a good opportunity for us to continue the upward trajectory in our game.”
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