Stormers boosted by Springbok’s timely return for Bulls showdown

The Stormers have been bolstered by the return of two star players for the United Rugby Championship quarterfinal against the Bulls in Cape Town on Saturday.

VIDEO: Springboks talk ‘diversity, transformation and respect’

The North-South showdown between the Stormers and Bulls kicks off at 15h30 on Saturday, with a place in the semifinals on the line. Close to 40 000 tickets had been sold on Friday morning, with Tier Three seats on sale for R50 and R70. Tickets are only available through Ticketpro. CLICK HERE to book your place at DHL Stadium now.

Back from their respective injuries, Springbok flank Deon Fourie and wing Leolin Zas have both been fast-tracked into the Stormers starting XV.

Ruhan Nel, Angelo Davids, Herschel Jantjies, Joseph Dweba and Frans Malherbe also return to the starting lineup, having featured off the replacements bench in the final league match of the season against Benetton a fortnight ago.

The only new faces among the Stormers replacements are lock Gary Porter and utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

WATCH: Bulls mascot living his best life in Cape Town

WHAT THE COACH HAD TO SAY PRE-GAME

Stormers head coach John Dobson said that everyone is looking forward to what will be another special occasion at DHL Stadium.

“We will have our biggest crowd of the season for a North-South knock-out game, so this is something everyone has been looking forward to.

“It is fantastic to have the likes of Deon and Leolin back in the mix for this one, they have both made such a big impact for us in recent times.

“We are very proud of what we have already achieved this season as our goal was to broaden depth across the squad and consolidate our position. To have hosted a Heineken Champions Cup play-off, retain the SA Shield and have a home Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarterfinal on top of capping as many players as we have means a lot to us.

“We are really excited about the future and the new generation of players coming through, but right now it’s all about Saturday.

“We want to play the kind of rugby that has got us into this position and repay the incredible support we get with a worthy performance,” he said.

ALSO READ: Stormers vs Bulls — URC stats, facts and key history

STORMERS TEAM TO FRONT BULLS IN CAPE TOWN

Stormers — 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Subs: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Gary Porter, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon, 21 Willie Engelbrecht, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.