Ruben van Heerden will make his 50th appearance for the Stormers on Saturday in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against Connacht in Cape Town (4 pm kick-off).
While it’s a welcome milestone for the towering lock, the absence of Frans Malherbe through a back injury and the suspended Neethling Fouché might put some strain on the Stormers’ scrum – a weapon they’ve used with plenty of success this season.
Young tighthead Sazi Sandi must step up in the starting jersey, with veteran Brok Harris set to provide cover off the bench.
50th DHL Stormers match for Ruben van Heerden on Saturday 👏#iamastormer pic.twitter.com/E3Cbe9Hv7u
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) April 18, 2025
It’s the start of a critical phase of their campaign with four matches left to secure a knockout spot.
The Cape side have been boosted by the return of fullback Warrick Gelant and winger Seabelo Senatla. They are part of an exciting backline that sees utility back Damian Willemse shifting to inside centre where he will partner Dan du Plessis. Playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is the flyhalf and his combination with Willemse and Gelant will be one to look out for.
⚡ Unreal link-up. Unforgettable rugby. 😍
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 18, 2025
Manie pulls the strings. Hacjivah brings the flair. 👌
These teams meet again on Saturday... Will we see more magic like this? 👀@Vodacom #URC | #STOvCON pic.twitter.com/1mXjxYTolc
Up front, Sandi and André-Hugo Venter form a front row with veteran Ali Vermaak, while lock Salmaan Moerat is back to captain the side after recovering from a minor foot injury. Flanker Deon Fourie and lock JD Schickerling recovered from their respective injuries and should make an impact off the bench. Replacement loosehead Vernon Matongo is set for his debut for the Cape side.
“It has been more than two months since we played at home, and we are really excited to see what this team can do on Saturday,” director of rugby John Dobson said.
We've seen some seriously good tries in this fixture 🤤
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 17, 2025
Who are you backing this time when we take off into Round 15 with @qatarairways? 🛫#QRTakeOff | #URC pic.twitter.com/ui7mPrVv48
“We have got some key players back in the mix and the build-up has been good. We understand just how important this run of games is in the context of our season and will be going all-out to make our supporters proud.”
Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Marcel Theunissen, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain), 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ali Vermaak. Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Brok Harris, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Louw Nel, 21 Deon Fourie, 22 Paul de Wet, 23 Ben Loader.