Promising prop Oliver Kebble will make his first start for a young Stormers team against the Boland Kavaliers in Wellington.
Kebble, whose father Guy played four Tests for the Springboks as a prop, is one of several recent WP U21 players to be given a run, including Kyle Lombard, Devon Williams, Godlen Masimla, Rayn Smid, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Jean Kleyn. Youngsters EW Viljoen and Justin Phillips, from the WP Rugby Institute, will also get their first taste of senior action on Saturday.
Springboks Jean de Villiers, Schalk Burger and Duane Vermeulen are being rested.
'Schalk had 80 minutes at altitude against the Bulls and 40 minutes this past weekend [against the Kings]. He’s fit and feeling good,' said Stormers coach Allister Coetzee. 'Yes, Jean de Villiers only had 60 minutes [against the Bulls], but he’s a senior player, as is Duane Vermeulen. It’s not Duane or Jean’s first season of Super Rugby, so I’m not worried about them at all.'
In injury news, centre Pat Howard suffered a slight hamstring injury at training on Monday which will keep him out of action for two weeks, while utility forward Rynhardt Elstadt will not be out of action for too long after picking up a rib injury against the Kings this past weekend.
Stormers – 15 Jaco Taute, 14 EW Viljoen, 13 Kyle Lombard, 12 Michael van der Spuy, 11 Devon Williams, 10 Gary van Aswegen, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Rayn Smid, 7 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 6 Rohan Kitshoff, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Pat Cilliers, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg (c), 1 Oliver Kebble.
Subs: 16 Alistair Vermaak, 17 Stephan Coetzee, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Tazz Fuzani, 20 Carel du Preez, 21 Eital Bredenkamp, 22 Justin Phillips, 23 Kurt Coleman, 24 JP Lewis, 25 Scott van Breda.
Photo: Petri Oeschger/Gallo Images
