Reinach debuts off bench as Moerat returns among eight Stormers changes

Cobus Reinach will make his DHL Stormers debut off the bench in their fifth round Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with Benetton in Treviso on Saturday.

The Springbok scrumhalf joined the Cape franchise from France during the off-season but his first full exposure to his new squad and teammates would have been when he joined them ahead of last week’s game against Zebre in Parma and watched from the stands. So it makes sense that Dobson is not rushing him in.

It might come as a surprise that Dewaldt Duvenage is the man starting and not Stefan Ungerer but it was always on the cards that Duvenage would get to play in a stadium in Treviso he knows so well against a team he played for for several years. It will probably be the last time Duvenage does play in Treviso as he is coming to the end of a long playing career and is being transitioned into a coaching role.

Duvenage’s selection into the No 9 jersey is one of nine changes in a side that showcases the depth that is building at the Cape union. In the sense that even though there are so many changes it is still a strong side.

There is an entirely new front five, although there is nothing really new about Salmaan Moerat, the occasional Springbok captain and regular Stormers skipper who returns to the side after injury to wear the No 4 jersey as second row partner to JD Schickerling.

Vernon Matongo may be a new kid on the block but has done well as a starter so his return for veteran Ali Vermaak, with Oli Kebble getting his first appearance of his second Stormers career as his back-up off the bench, is hardly a surprise.

The same for Andre-Hugo Venter coming in at hooker and soon to be new Bok Zachary Porthen dropping to the bench to accommodate the fit again Sazi Sandi. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has flown home to rest up before the end of year Springbok tour but Damian Willemse continues at inside centre, with Jurie Matthee coming in at flyhalf.

Seabelo Senatla returns on the wing after missing out last week at the last minute, and Stormers director of rugby John Dobson has gone for what looks like a powerful six/two bench split, with Adre Smith and Ruben van Heerden among the forwards and the X-factor of Reinach and Wandisile Simelane filling the roles of backs back-up.

DHL Stormers: Warrick Gelant, Seabelo Senatla, Ruhan Nel (captain), Damian Willemse, Leolin Zas, Jurie Matthee, Dewaldt Duvenage, Evan Roos, Ben-Jason Dixon, Paul de Villiers, JD Schickerling, Salmaan Moerat, Sazi Sandi, André-Hugo Venter, Vernon Matongo.Replacements: JJ Kotze, Oli Kebble, Zachary Porthen, Adré Smith, Ruben van Heerden, Ruan Ackerman, Cobus Reinach, Wandisile Simelane.