[WATCH] Bok hulle op: Stormers recall stars for Leinster clash
|Published
Leading man: Steven Kitshoff
The Stormers have brought in their big guns for Friday’s top-of-the-table United Rugby Championship clash with Leinster at the RDS Arena at 9.35pm.
Captain Steven Kitshoff, fellow prop Frans Malherbe lock Marvin and playmaker Damian Willemse all return after enjoying an extended break while in camp with the South African national team.
Of his returning internationals, Stormers coach John Dobson says: “[The national] camps were quite tough and the guys are in good physical condition. They haven’t played in two months, and we want to get them ready for the knockout game next week [against Harlequins in the European Champions Cup], so we have to play them tomorrow.”
⛈️Captain Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Marvin Orie, Hacjivah Dayimani and Damian Willemse all make their return for our @Vodacom #URC clash with Leinster at the RDS Arena in Dublin on Friday.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 23, 2023
📢Team announcement https://t.co/klS1pUYffM#iamastormer #dhldelivers #LEIvSTO pic.twitter.com/LqVeLFvno9
“You can’t expect any rugby player to be out for two months and produce a world-beating performance, but I am expecting good things.”
While Dobson wants his manne to use the match to get ready for Harlequins, captain Kitshoff is amped to lay down a marker in Dublin.
Trailing Leinster by 12 log points, Kitshoff says: “There was a great buzz the whole week from last week’s training [when the Boks returned]. “Mentally, the guys are switched on. It’s an awesome sign and just builds on excitement ahead of this game. We are highly motivated and excited for this game. Some of the guys haven’t played in a while, but we’ve been working hard on rugby fundamentals and skills.”
It’s getting a little crowded at the top of the @Vodacom #URC table 😬
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) March 22, 2023
Time is running out for teams to secure their place in the Top 8 👀
🎥 Full Episode 👉 Link in Bio@Vodacom #URC | @iamSivN | @SquidgeRugby pic.twitter.com/C09B7KZbDC
Leinster, meanwhile, will take the field without Johnny Sexton, who is suffering from a groin strain after leading Ireland to Six Nations glory last week.
RDS Arena
Leinster: 15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Rob Russell, 13 Liam Turner, 12 Ciarán Frawley, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Harry Byrne, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Max Deegan, 7 Scott Penny, 6 Rhys Ruddock (captain), 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Ross Molony, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 2 John McKee and 1 Michael Milne. Replacements: 16 Lee Barron, 17 Ed Byrne, 18 Vakhtang Abdaladze, 19 Brian Deeny, 20 Will Connors, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Charlie Tector and 23 Ben Brownlee.
Stormers: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain). Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Willie Engelbrecht, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Jean-Luc du Plessis.