CAPE TOWN - Stormers coach Robbie Fleck has made four changes to his side to face the Bulls at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 5.15 pm), with Scarra Ntubeni returning from a long-term injury on the bench.
Three of those changes are in the backline, where SP Marais and Dillyn Leyds return from injury to take their place at fullback and wing respectively, while Justin Phillips will start at scrumhalf after Dewaldt Duvenage was ruled out with a rib injury. Jano Vermaak returns from injury to provide cover on the bench and get his first taste of Super Rugby for the year.
The only change to the forward pack is a rotational switch between Steven Kitshoff and JC Janse van Rensburg, with Ntubeni set to make his first appearance this season if he comes on as a replacement after recovering from the torn Achilles he sustained last year.
Fleck said that his team are determined to continue on an upward curve after victories against the Blues and the Reds at Newlands.
"The team has performed well to win our last two games, but we know that there are a number of areas in which we can still improve.
"It has been another good week of training with a few key players returning from injury, so we are looking forward to the weekend which gives us another chance to make a step up in our game," he said.
Stormers team:
15 SP Marais, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Damian De Allende, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Justin Phillips, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Cobus Wiese, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Jan de Klerk, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Ramone Samuels, 1 Steven Kitshoff. Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Carlu Sadie, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Kobus van Dyk, 21 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 22 Jano Vermaak, 23 Craig Barry.