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Bok duo bring backline sparkle to strong Stormers team

rugby09 October 2025 12:00
By:Gavin Rich
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Damian Willemse © Getty Images

Springbok backline stars Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will switch their international focus to the DHL Stormers’ quest to win the Vodacom United Rugby Championship when the Cape team faces the Scarlets in the first tour game in Llanelli on Friday night.

The duo are both fresh from playing a big part in the Boks winning the Castle Lager Rugby Championship and were both part of the team that clinched the title against Argentina at Twickenham in London last weekend. Both joined the Stormers squad in Wales earlier this week and will get game time straight away, whereas another Stormers Bok, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, will sit out this game.

It is easy to see why Reinach isn’t rushed into action - he is new to the Stormers, having linked up with the Cape franchise from overseas club rugby during the off-season, and as he has been involved with the Boks the past few months he would not have had a pre-season opportunity to get acquainted with the Stormers’ systems.

Instead Stefan Ungerer, who has been excellent first as a starting No 9 and then as the backup last week so far, will start as Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s halfback partner. The exciting young Imad Khan, considered a star of the future, will be the reserve scrumhalf and will make his first appearance of the season for the Stormers if he comes on.

 

 

Also playing his first game of the season when he comes onto the field is Springbok World Cup winner Deon Fourie, who is part of a six/two bench split. Lock Ruben van Heerden, hooker JJ Kotze and props Ali Vermaak and Sazi Sandi will make their first starts of the season, with Vermaak being rotated this week with the impressive Vernon Matongo and Andre-Hugo Venter playing off the bench.

Zachary Porthen, last year’s Junior Springbok captain, will have an important role to play in the coming months now that Neethling Fouche is injured and his inclusion on the bench as backup to Sazi Sandi is a first step in that direction.

 

 

Dobson has made use of the utility value in the players available to him with his selections at the back, with Willemse’ inclusion for the talented Wandisile Simelane at fullback seeing Simelane move back to his more regular position of outside centre. Skipper Ruhan Nel will move inside to No 12 this week as a replacement for Dan du Plessis.

Although there have been several changes to the team that beat the Ospreys in Cape Town last week the Stormers team has a strong look to it and is an illustration of the depth that Dobson has available to him.

DHL Stormers team: Damian Willemse, Seabelo Senatla, Wandisile Simelane, Ruhan Nel (captain), Leolin Zas, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Stefan Ungerer, Evan Roos, Ben-Jason Dixon, Paul de Villiers, Ruben van Heerden, JD Schickerling, Sazi Sandi, JJ Kotze, Ali Vermaak. Replacements: Andre-Hugo Venter, Vernon Matongo, Zachary Porthen, Connor Evans, Marcel Theunissen, Deon Fourie, Imad Khan, Jurie Matthee.

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