Bok prop Malherbe to lead Stormers against Ospreys

Two-time Springbok World Cup-winning prop Frans Malherbe will captain the Stormers in their United Rugby Championship match against the Ospreys at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off at 7.15pm.

Changes

There are several changes to the Stormers team for the clash with the Welsh outfit, with Wandisile Simelane getting a start at outside centre and wing Ben Loader back in the run on side.

Stefan Ungerer gets a rare start at scrumhalf where he will join the now experienced Manie Libbok in a new halfback pairing.

Joining the new captain Malherbe in the front row are veteran prop Brok Harris and hooker JJ Kotze.

Gary Porter and Adre Smith form an all-new second row, while Evan Roos is joined by flanks Nama Xaba and Hacjivah Dayimani in the loose trio.

There are six forwards on the replacements bench as hooker Scarra Ntubeni and props Sazi Sandi and Kwenzo Blose come into the mix, with Ruben van Heerden also set to provide an impact in the second half along with loose forwards Willie Engelbrecht and Marcel Theunissen.

Remaining matches

Stormers boss John Dobson said that this match is vital for his team in the context of the season. The Cape-based side are fifth on the points table with five games to play and will be keen to make it into the top four at the end of the regular season.

“We are getting closer to the play-offs, which means that every match becomes our most important and we will certainly be treating this game that way,” said Dobson.

“We will have a few exciting combinations out there and they will need to fire from the first whistle if we are to get the result we need against a highly competitive Ospreys side. It promises to be another great night and we can’t wait to see our fans out there again.”

Stormers: Warrick Gelant, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Wandisile Simelane, Dan du Plessis, Ben Loader, Manie Libbok, Stefan Ungerer, Evan Roos, Hacjivah Dayimani, Nama Xaba, Gary Porter, Adre Smith, Frans Malherbe (capt), JJ Kotze, Brok Harris. Bench: Scarra Ntubeni, Kwenzo Blose, Sazi Sandi, Ruben van Heerden, Willie Engelbrecht, Marcel Theunissen, Paul de Wet, Damian Willemse.