Stormers enforcer Ben-Jason Dixon returns to the starting lineup for their URC clash against Zebre in Parma on Saturday night. Picture: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
The Stormers are gunning for a bounce back win as they take on Zebre Parma in their second United Rugby Championship (URC) match of the season in Italy on Saturday night (kick-off 8:35pm).
Last weekend was a poor start to their season after the Stormers squandered a 19-13 second half lead to fall to a disappointing 37-24 defeat against Ospreys in Wales, so they will be desperate to turn it around this weekend.
They however come up against a fired up Zebre who stunned Munster 42-33 in their last game, and if the Stormers aren’t at their best they could become just the second South African team, after the Sharks last season, to lose to the Italian side.
The Stormers have only made one change to their starting side from the one that played Ospreys, with Bok up and comer Ben-Jason Dixon back in and David Ewers dropping out of the squad, while Warrick Gelant returns to the match 23 and will play off the bench.
“This has been a good week for us and we are all excited to see what this team can do against an in-form Zebre Parma side,” said Stormers coach John Dobson.
“The players coming in all bring something unique that will hopefully see us lift our standards across the board on Saturday.
“We will have to be as sharp as ever and make the most of every opportunity that comes our way. It is a challenge we are all looking forward to.”
The Stormers have been dreadful travellers in the URC and their loss against Ospreys indicates that they haven’t managed to shake off that tag yet, although Dobson admitted after that loss that he felt they were in a better place than when they made a similar start last year.
““It’s weird, because it is a similar outcome as the start of last season’s tour, but I feel better about this. A lot of the stuff we are working on was there. There were some nice performances,” explained Dobson.
Despite their superb win over Munster, Zebre are still considered one of the weaker teams in the competition and it is a golden chance for the Stormers to get a morale boosting win, especially with them set to conclude their tour against Edinburgh in Scotland next weekend.
If the Stormers can get a win over Zebre, it will give them perfect momentum to take into their game against Edinburgh, while they will also be boosted by the Scottish side having to travel back from their tour of SA.
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