Stormers Select 11 Springboks for Sharks Derby in Cape Town

The Stormers have selected 11 Springboks for their United Rugby Championship derby against the Sharks at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, with Damian Willemse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach and Wilco Louw returning to the starting lineup.

According to rugbybypass.com, the squad includes several players returning from national duty, while Siya Kolisi moves to blindside flanker and Ruhan Nel captains the side. The match will also mark the first appearance of the new black kit.

Stormers director of rugby John Dobson highlighted the quality available in his selection, which includes veteran Deon Fourie and debutant Haashim Pead.

"It is fantastic to be able to name a team like this which is full of exceptional talents, from Deon Fourie with 141 DHL Stormers caps through to Haashim Pead who makes his first appearance for us." said John Dobson, director of rugby.

Dobson also discussed the impact of players returning from international duty and the significance of the retro kit linked to the 1999 Men in Black campaign.

"It has been really encouraging to see the way the players returning from national duty have stepped up this week and added immensely to our preparations. It was a tough team to select with many quality players missing out." said John Dobson, director of rugby.

He added that the match carries importance beyond the competition as the Stormers welcome supporters for their home fixture against the Sharks.

"This weekend we also play our first match in the new Men in Black kit, which is a great nod to our past and something which resonates deeply with our fans." said John Dobson, director of rugby.

Dobson said the occasion is expected to attract strong support at DHL Stadium.

"It is going to be a fantastic occasion at DHL Stadium on Saturday, beyond the rugby which will be typically intense. We hope that our fans come out in their numbers to enjoy every moment with us." said John Dobson, director of rugby.

The coach also defended his decision to leave Warrick Gelant out of the matchday squad while selecting Willemse at fullback, according to thepost.co.za. He said Gelant remains an important option for the team.

"I know how unpopular I am for choosing Warrick Gelant and if we had Warrick at fullback and Damian at 12 that would’ve been the end of Dobbo." said John Dobson, director of rugby.

Dobson continued to explain his view of Gelant's contribution and role within the squad.

"I still very much have faith in Boogey (Gelant)." said John Dobson, director of rugby.

He also explained the importance of Gelant's experience when Springbok selections affect the Stormers squad.

"The truth is, we haven’t brought JC Mars through. Sacha (Feinberg-Mngomezulu) and Damian are both options at 15, but when they’re with the Springboks, we need somebody who can make things happen." said John Dobson, director of rugby.

According to thestar.co.za, captain Ruhan Nel will coordinate communication duties with senior players including Kolisi, Fourie, JD Schickerling, Neethling Fouché and Willemse during the match.

"I think from all the refs that we’ve been working with, well, at least me, since I’ve taken over the captaincy role, every single ref has been quite receptive to the change." said Ruhan Nel, captain.

Nel described the processes used when addressing referees and managing responsibilities across different areas of play.

"When they come in before the game, I’ll just go to them and say, ‘Listen, when it comes to scrums and breakdowns, I’m not going to be running in from the outside every single time when there’s something wrong.’" said Ruhan Nel, captain.

He said experienced forwards can communicate directly with officials about specific parts of the game.

"When you have a character like Siya or Brannas (Fourie) in the midfield, they’re more or less at the breakdown the whole time. All the refs have been quite receptive if I tell them, ‘Listen, Deon or Siya is going to be chatting to you when it comes to any unhappiness about the breakdowns.’" said Ruhan Nel, captain.

Nel added that lineout and scrum discussions are assigned to players with relevant expertise.

"JD will be chatting to you about the lineouts, or Neethling about the scrums, so there are processes that we follow, and they’re probably a little bit more educated around those areas as well. In all honesty, I think if there were any communication hiccups or anything, the training environment would have exposed that already." said Ruhan Nel, captain.

The Stormers also invited former players to attend the match, with sarugbymag.co.za reporting that 35,000 tickets had been sold by Friday for the Cape Town fixture.

Nel said the leadership structure has already been tested during the season opener against Connacht.

"I actually think it’s very complementary. It happened against Connacht, when Siya came to me and said, ‘Listen, this is happening, please just tell the ref.’" said Ruhan Nel, captain.