As confirmed by the Stormers on Monday, lock Marvin Orie has been named captain of a 27-man Stormers squad that will travel to Ireland for the team’s return to URC competition; however, a number of players will not be on the aircraft.
Angelo Davids, Steven Kitshoff, Alapati Leuia, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat, Gary Porter, Seabelo Senatla, Adre Smith, Ernst van Rhyn, Damian Willemse, Nama Xaba, and Leolin Zas are unavailable at this time.
The team departed Cape Town on Sunday following a 30-16 victory over ASM Clermont Auvergne, which qualified them for the Round of 16 of the Heineken Champions Cup.
The focus now moves back to the United Rugby Championship, which concludes in another brief week on Friday night at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast against Ulster.
In the absence of usual captain Steven Kitshoff, who is being rested along with fellow Springbok Damian Willemse, and with Manie Libbok still out due to injury, Orie heads a squad with a blend of youth and experience.
New agreement The seasoned duo of hooker Scarra Ntubeni and centre Juan de Jongh return from injury absences. Ruben van Heerden also joins the team.
John Dobson, the head coach of the Stormers, stated that a number of squad members will be eager to make a significant impact.
We are missing a few players owing to resting regimens and injuries, but this squad is loaded with potential, and we are excited to see what they can do. This week we will have limited training time, but everyone is excited for the challenge,” he remarked.
STORMERS TRAVELLING SQUAD Forwards: Kwenzo Blose, Ben-Jason Dixon, Willie Engelbrecht, Connor Evans, Brok Harris, JJ Kotze, Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, Scarra Ntubeni, Marvin Orie (captain), Junior Pokomela, Evan Roos, Sazi Sandi, Marcel Theunissen, Ruben van Heerden, Andre-Hugo Venter, Ali Vermaak.
Backs: Clayton Blommetjies, Juan de Jongh, Jean-Luc du Plessis, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Herschel Jantjies, Imad Khan, Ruhan Nel, Cornel Smit, Stefan Ungerer, Kade Wolhuter.
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