Stormers head coach Robbie Fleck has named a Super Rugby team with six changes to play the Southern Kings on Saturday at Newlands in Cape Town.
Huw Jones gets his first start this Super Rugby season at outside centre and replaces Daniel du Plessis who has been ruled out with concussion.
The only other change in the backline sees scrumhalf Louis Schreuder come into the starting line-up for Nic Groom who is being rested.
In the forward pack Stormers half-centurion Rynhardt Elstadt starts at flank with Siya Kolisi set to provide impact off the replacements bench, Scarra Ntubeni comes in at hooker, and there are two new locks in JD Schickerling and Jean Kleyn, with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Eben Etzebeth being rested.
Lock Chris van Zyl will make his Stormers debut if he comes off the replacements bench on Saturday.
The hard-working Van Zyl has shown great form as captain of Western Province this season, and is joined on the replacements bench by prop JC Janse van Rensburg and scrumhalf Jano Vermaak who both make a return from injury.
Head Coach Robbie Fleck said that their focus is solely on gaining as much momentum as possible ahead of the knock-out phase of the competition.
“It is great that we have won our conference before the last game of the regular season, but that does not mean we will compromise on intensity against the Southern Kings this weekend.
“We need to play our best rugby in order to take some meaningful momentum into the play-offs, so this is a vital match for us,” said Fleck.
Stormers
15 Jaco Taute, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Schalk Burger (captain), 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Alistair Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 JP Smith, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Jano Vermaak, 22 Brandon Thomson, 23 Scott van Breda.
