Stormers end Damian Willemse experiment, Springboks prospect breaks all-time record and Sacha celebrates milestone versus Glasgow Warriors
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and an inset of Markus Muller.
Director of rugby John Dobson has ended the Damian Willemse wing experiment, while Markus Muller will become the youngest Stormers player ever when the Capetonians host Glasgow Warriors.
Willemse takes over from fellow Springbok Warrick Gelant at full-back for the URC top-of-table clash at Cape Town Stadium, with Wandisile Simelane now donning the number 14 jersey.
John Dobson rings the changes
Leolin Zas completes the back-three while Ruhan Nel captains the team from outside centre and is partnered by Dan du Plessis.
Meanwhile, Springboks star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will celebrate a milestone as he makes his 50th appearance for the Stormers and is partnered by scrum-half Cobus Reinach.
Dobson has made further changes in his forward pack with Paul de Villiers taking over from Deon Fourie in the number six jersey, where he joins Ben-Jason Dixon and Evan Roos to make up the loose trio.
Ruben van Heerden is also elevated to the run-on team and partners Adre Smith in the locks, while Neethling Fouche and Andre-Hugo Venter now start along with Ntuthuko Mchunu in the front-row.
Hooker JJ Kotzé and loose forward Keke Morabe come onto the replacements bench as Dobson opts for a 5-3 split on the bench, which also includes Zachary Porthen, Oli Kebble, and Marcel Theunissen.
Imad Khan and Jurie Matthee provide half-back cover while teenage sensation Muller is in line to become the youngest Stormers player of all-time, breaking Willemse’s record.
Muller, who was invited to the Springboks alignment camp earlier this year, becomes only the second player after Willemse to debut for the Cape-based team before the age of 19.
Willemse debuted against the Southern Kings in Super Rugby at the age of 18 years, 10 months, and four days back in 2017, while Muller is set to debut at 18 years, 9 months, and 19 days.
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The clash against Glasgow is the Stormers’ final home game of the regular season, and Dobson is aware of the context of the fixture.
“With the play-offs getting closer all the time, it is important that we make the most of this opportunity to play at home in front of our fans,” he said.
“It has been a good week of training, and we are looking forward to seeing what the players coming into the mix can add in what is a crucial match against a strong Glasgow team.”
Dobson added that Feinberg-Mngomezulu deserves all the plaudits he gets ahead of this milestone: “There is a lot expected of Sacha, and he handles the pressure so well. He will be a key player in our squad for years to come, and hopefully we can make this match memorable for him.”
Stormers v Glasgow Warriors
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Wandisile Simelane, 13 Ruhan Nel (c), 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotzé, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Marcel Theunissen, 20 Keke Morabe, 21 Imad Khan, 22 Jurie Matthee, 23 Markus Muller
Venue: DHL Stadium
Date: Saturday, 25 April
Kick-off: 12:45 UK / 13:45 SA/ITA
Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU, 38th game)
Assistant Referees: Griffin Colby (SARU), Dylen November (SARU)
TMO: Peter Martin (IRFU)
How to watch: Premier Sports, SuperSport, URC.tv and FloRugby
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