SPRINGBOKS HOPEFUL INCLUDED IN STORMERS SQUAD FOR OVERSEAS TOUR
The Stormers have named their 27-man squad for their two-match tour to Wales and Ireland and have been bolstered by the return from injury of highly rated utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
The Cape Town-based outfit are currently in fifth place in the United Rugby Championship (URC) standings and will face the Dragons at Rodney Parade in Newport on Friday, before heading to the Sportsground in Galway where they will take on Connacht on Saturday, May 18.
The Stormers need to win both those encounters as well as their last match of the URC‘s league phase, against the Lions, on Saturday, June 1 and hope other teams lose games for them to book a home quarter-final.
Rising star in South Africa
Feinberg-Mngomezulu is one of the rising stars of the South African game and has been tipped as a future Springbok.
Dobson described him as “a generational talent” when the former Junior Springbok captain penned a contract extension with the Stormers until 2027, last month.
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The 22-year-old, speedster Angelo Davids and front-row duo Sti Sithole and Kwenzo Blose have all recovered from injuries to take their spots in the Stormers’ touring group.
Meanwhile, wings Leolin Zas, Ben Loader and Courtnall Skosan, centre Ruhan Nel, scrum-half Paul de Wet, back-rowers Keke Morabe, Deon Fourie and Nama Xaba, utility forward Hendre Stassen, and props Lizo Gqoboka and Ali Vermaak will remain in Cape Town due to injury.
With just three rounds of league matches left ahead off the play-offs Dobson is aware that his team can ill afford losses on their tour.
“The congested nature of the log shows just how competitive the Vodacom United Rugby Championship has been this season,” he said. “We will need to be at our best if we are going to get the results we need.
“It is great to have the likes of Sacha, Angelo, Sti and Kwenzo back in the group and we are all looking forward to the challenges that await us in Newport and Galway.”
Stormers touring squad
Backs: Angelo Davids, Dan du Plessis, Jean-Luc du Plessis, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Warrick Gelant, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Herschel Jantjies, Manie Libbok, Wandisile Simelane, Stefan Ungerer, Damian Willemse
Forwards: Kwenzo Blose, Hacjivah Dayimani, Ben-Jason Dixon, Joseph Dweba, Willie Engelbrecht, Neethling Fouche, Brok Harris, JJ Kotze, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat (c), Evan Roos, Sti Sithole, Adre Smith, Marcel Theunissen, Ruben van Heerden, Andre-Hugo Venter
2024-05-07T15:52:10Z dg43tfdfdgfd