Dillyn Leyds will start for a powerful La Rochelle side in the Champions Cup clash with the DHL Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday.

Two-time defending champions La Rochelle have named a virtually full-strength team to face the Stormers, as they look to bounce back from an opening-round loss to Leinster.

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12 of the starting XV were part of the lineup that faced Leinster in last season’s Champions Cup final. Only wing Raymond Rhule, No 8 and captain Gregory Aldritt and lock Romain Sazy are absent from Saturday’s match.

Returning to Cape Town to face his former side, Leyds is part of the backline that features veteran fullback Brice Dulin, star France centre Jonathan Danty, France flyhalf Antoine Hastoy (who scored 12 points in the final) and former New Zealand scrumhalf Tawera Kerr-Barlow.

La Rochelle’s pack is boosted by the presence of Fijian poacher Levani Botia and Wallabies captain Will Skelton, while tighthead Uini Antonio, hooker Pierre Bourgarit and loosehead Reda Wardi form an all-France front row, all three of whom faced the Springboks in the World Cup quarter-finals.

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La Rochelle — 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 UJ Seuteni, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Jules Favre, 10 Antoine Hastoy, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Yoan Tanga, 7 Levani Botia, 6 Paul Boudehent, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Thomas Lavault, 3 Uini Antonio, 2 Pierre Bourgarit (c), 1 Reda Wardi.
Subs: 16 Sacha Idoumi, 17 Joel Sclavi, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Ultan Dillane, 20 Remi Picquette, 21 Judicaël Cancoriet, 22 Teddy Iribaren, 23 Hugo Reus.

Photo: OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty Images