Siya Kolisi will play for the DHL Stormers for the first time in over five years in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship encounter with Edinburgh at the Hive Stadium on Friday night.
Having made his return to the team where he started his professional career, Kolisi will earn his 119th DHL Stormers cap when he runs out in Edinburgh for kick-off at 20h45 SAST on Friday.
Kolisi starts at openside flank, with Louw Nel moving to blindside and Riley Norton in the second row. The only other change to the forward pack sees Ntuthuko Mchunu start in the front row this week.
In the backline, Stefan Ungerer and Yaqeen Ahmed come in at halfback to pull the strings.
There is one new face on the replacements bench, with Wandile Mlaba covering loose forward.
Director of Rugby John Dobson said that the focus is on ending the tour with a win before returning home to Cape Town for four consecutive home games.
“Last week’s performance against Connacht was encouraging in many ways, but we would like to see a more ruthless edge to our game, which we have worked on this week.
“We know that Edinburgh is a tough place to play and we have some experience coming in, with Siya, Ntuthuko and Stefan included along with Yaqeen Ahmed and Wandile Mlabaa, who are both really exciting young players.
“It will take a big effort from all 23 players to get the result before we go back to Cape Town for what will be a crucial period in the context of our season,” he said.
DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Yaqeen Ahmed, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Louw Nel, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Riley Norton, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Adré Smith, 21 Wandile Mlaba, 22 Andre Warner, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
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Paul Roos Gimnasium: The Ultimate Springbok Factory: Located just outside the metro in Stellenbosch, Paul Roos Gimnasium stands as a colossal power in global schoolboy sport. The school holds the world record for producing the most South African international rugby players, with over 50 Springboks emerging from its ranks. Its rich tradition in athletics, tennis, and golf has consistently placed it at the top tier of international school sports rankings.
