Veteran Scarra Ntubeni will wear the DHL Stormers No 2 jersey on the occasion of what is being touted as his official farewell home game for the Cape club against Connacht at DHL Stadium on Saturday.
The round 15 Vodacom URC clash is an important one for the Stormers as they head into a tough finish to the season that will see this game, which is also set up to be a commemoration of Chippie Solomon, the popular and long-serving Stormers manager who died last weekend, followed by a top of the log showdown with Glasgow and away games against Ulster and Cardiff.
Ntubeni in for Andre-Hugo Venter, who plays off the bench, is one of a few changes to the forward pack that did duty in the narrow loss to Toulon in the Investec Champions Cup round of 16 game at Stade Mayol two weeks ago.
Ben-Jason Dixon is back after recovering from the concussion that prevented him from playing in that game, Zachary Porthen gets his first start in a while at tighthead, and Deon Fourie starts after covering hooker and flank from the bench last time out.
Ntuthuko Mchunu, who finished the Toulon game so strongly, comes back as the starting loose-head for Oli Kebble, who moves to the bench, and with Ntubeni and Porthen alongside him it means the entire Bok row is made up of players with Springbok caps.
There is no place in the match day squad for Hacjivah Dayimani, who played in Dixon’s place against Toulon, which is probably a concession on Stormers director of rugby John Dobson’s part to the weather conditions expected for Saturday’s game. Rain is predicted for match day and was falling on the eve of the game, prompting Dobson to switch the captain’s practice from DHL Stadium to the HPC in Bellville.
Back at home for a big one against Connacht.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) April 17, 2026
📢 Team announcement https://t.co/DIYc8cB0UJ
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There is only one change at the back but it is a big one - Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu returns to the starting team after playing an impact role against Toulon. He replaces Jurie Matthee, who was good against Toulon. The change was always likely to be made but Matthee is out with injury for three weeks which explains why he is not on the bench, where Dobson has returned to the six/two split between forwards and backs.
With Ruben van Heerden making his return to rugby off the bench after being out since injuring a thumb against the Sharks on 31 January it significantly firms up the Stormers’ ‘bomb squad’ effect and in the expected weather conditions the forwards, and the bench players in particular, could have a big role to play.
The Stormers have plenty of experience on that bench in the form of Venter, Neethling Fouche, Kebble, Van Heerden, Marcell Theunissen and of course the carrying and breakdown skills of Paul de Villiers.
DHL Stormers: Warrick Gelant, Damian Willemse, Ruhan Nel (captain), Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach, Evan Roos, Ben-Jason Dixon, Deon Fourie, JD Schickerling, Adré Smith, Zachary Porthen, Scarra Ntubeni, Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: André-Hugo Venter, Oli Kebble, Neethling Fouché, Ruben van Heerden, Marcel Theunissen, Paul de Villiers, Stefan Ungerer, Wandisile Simelane.