Dan du Plessis, Suleiman Hartzenberg and Ben-Jason Dixon all come into the DHL Stormers starting line-up for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship encounter with the Vodacom Bulls at DHL Stadium on Saturday.
Du Plessis and Hartzenberg will link up in midfield, while Dixon comes into the second row for the North-South clash, which kicks off at 19h15 on Friday.
Dixon comes in at lock, to replace the injured Salmaan Moerat, while props Ali Vermaak and Neethling Fouche have both been included among the replacements.
Damian Willemse shifts to fullback, while Godlen Masimla comes onto the bench in place of the injured Herschel Jantjies.
DHL Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that his team are looking forward to what should be a great occasion.
“These ‘festive derbies’ are going to become part of our rugby tradition going forward so this is an exciting new chapter in the rivalry between the two teams.
“We have had some injury disruptions this week, but have managed to build some good depth this season and you can be sure that every player in our matchday squad will be ready to give it everything.
“This is a big match for both sets of fans and we are looking forward to what should be a fantastic atmosphere at DHL Stadium on Friday,” he said.
DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ben-Jason Dixon, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Clayton Blommetjies.
