Publications
- The Stormers welcome back Deon Fourie and Marvin Orie for Saturday's URC final against Munster.
- It's the only changes to the Stormers starting XV.
- On the bench, Clayton Blommetjies comes in for the injured Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Stalwarts Deon Fourie and Marvin Orie return to the Stormers starting XV for Saturday's URC Grand Final against Munster in Cape Town.
The Bok duo missed the Stormers' 43-25 semi-final win over Connacht due to injuries.
Fourie replaces Willie Engelbrecht in the No 6 jersey, with Orie coming into the second row in place of Ben-Jason Dixon. Engelbrecht and Dixon will feature off the bench.
READ | URC Grand Final - Stormers v Munster: All you need to know
It's the only two changes to the Stormers starting XV.
On the bench, Clayton Blommetjies comes in to replace the injured Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
With Fourie and Orie back in the fray, it means hooker Joseph Dweba and lock Ruben van Heerden are the only starting forwards that did not feature in last season's 18-13 final win over the Bulls in Cape Town.
Stormers
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain)
Substitutes: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Willie Engelbrecht, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Clayton Blommetjies
Munster
15 Mike Haley, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Antoine Frisch, 12 Malakai Fekitoa, 11 Shane Daly, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 John Hodnett, 6 Peter O’Mahony (captain), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 1 Jeremy Loughman
Substitutes: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Roman Salanoa, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Alex Kendellen, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ben Healy, 23 Keith Earls
Stormers coach John Dobson relished the return of Fourie and Orie.
"Both Deon and Marvin have been outstanding for us this season and they will add a lot both in terms of their ability and leadership on Saturday. "We have a lot of respect for Munster, the truth is that we have never beaten them, so while we are thrilled to be playing at home we know it will be a big challenge against a good team," Dobson said.
That's Stormers lock Marvin Orie in the distance...He's also fit to play after missing the semi-final.@Sport24news pic.twitter.com/QvWM4fhwpI
— Khanyiso Tshwaku (@kaymorizm) May 26, 2023
All 55 000 tickets have been sold out for Saturday's final.
"This will be the biggest crowd for any Stormers match and it should be an amazing occasion for the team, our passionate supporters and the city of Cape Town," Dobson added.
"We are so grateful for the support that we enjoy and what this team means to so many people. We will do our best to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy every moment and play the kind of rugby that got us here."
Saturday's clash at Cape Town Stadium kicks off at 18:30.
