Evan Roos will pack down on the side of the scrum in Leolin Zas’ milestone Stormers appearance on Friday night, when the Cape club faces Connacht in round one of the 2026-27 URC.
Zas will play his 100th match in Galway, and is joined by fellow URC winners Seabelo Senatla and Warrick Gelant in an experienced back three, with captain Ruhan Nel alongside Jonathan Roche in midfield.
Zas, who made his Stormers debut in 2016, topped the URC try-scoring charts when the Stormers claimed the title in the 2021-22 season.
Roos and Louw Nel are on the flanks while Hacjivah Dayimani starts at No 8. The versatile Marcel Theunissen among the replacements.
Lock Riley Norton, scrumhalves Andre Warner and Ezekiel Ngobeni and hooker Vernon Paulo are all set to debut for the Stormers at The Sportsground.
Warner partners Jurie Matthee at halfback, with Ngobeni and Yaqeen Ahmed the two backs on the bench.
Norton starts alongside a fit-again JD Schickerling in the second row, with both Connor Evans and Adré Smith poised to make an impact off the wood.
In the front row, hooker André-Hugo Venter has props Neethling Fouché and Vernon Matongo either side of him, with Paulo set to feature as a substitute with props Olly Reid and Sazi Sandi.
Director of rugby John Dobson said that with four debutants and a player hitting a century of caps, there is plenty of excitement within the group ahead of the first match of the new season.
“Leolin has been a stalwart in this team for so many years and has delivered so many incredible moments,” he said.
“He did not have things his own way and came back from serious injury to cement his place as one of the deadliest finishers to have played for the Stormers.
“We also have the likes of Riley Norton, Vernon Paulo and Ezekiel Ngobeni making their first appearances of what should be long careers with us, while Andre Warner provides the benefit of experience in a crucial position. We are excited for all of them to show what they can do.
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“We decided against playing Ben-Jason Dixon and Ntuthuko Mchunu in this match to give them further opportunity to recover from what has been a demanding schedule and be fresh enough to make maximum impact for us.”
Dobson added that his side needs an 80-minute effort to get the result in Galway.
“We know just how tough it is to win here. It will take everything we have from all 23 players to start this campaign with a win on the road,” he said.
STORMERS – 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (c), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Louw Nel, 6 Evan Roos, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Riley Norton, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Bench: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Olly Reid, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Adré Smith, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 23 Yaqeen Ahmed.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Roos at 6 as Zas hits 100 for Stormers appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Evan Roos will pack down on the side of the scrum in Leolin Zas’ milestone Stormers appearance on Friday night, when the Cape club faces Connacht in round one of the 2026-27 URC.
The post Roos at 6 as Zas hits 100 for Stormers appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
