Johannesburg - Fetcher Deon Fourie and winger Leolin Zas will make their Stormers return in the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final against the Bulls on Saturday.
Some more good news for the side is that lock Ruben van Heerden was passed fit after a knee injury which will keep his lock combination with Springbok Marvin Orie going.
Fourie's inclusion will be a big boost, especially at the breakdown area, while Zas returns just in time to replace the injured Seabelo Senatla who was in a car accident and had to be withdrawn.
John Dobson, Stormers coach, said they are happy with the return of two of their star players ahead of the clash.
"It's fantastic to have the likes of Deon and Leolin back in the mix for this one, they have both made such a big impact for us in recent times," Dobson said.
"It's going to be challenging for Leolin because of the length of time he was out. I'll be surprised if he gets to 80 minutes, but I don't think he will make the full 80. We will keep an eye on his GPS.”
Steven Kitshoff, Stormers captain, agreed with his coach about the return of Fourie being a boost for the side.
"He brings that Warrior mentality, intensity, focus, and bit of dog,” said Kitshoff.
"He is good at stopping momentum (of teams) and bringing us momentum, he is crucial in these games. He also brings that calmness and detail. He is hungry to play after a good break."
Stormers team: 15. Damian Willemse, 14. Angelo Davids, 13. Ruhan Nel, 12. Dan du Plessis, 11. Leolin Zas, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Herschel Jantjies, 8. Evan Roos, 7. Hacjivah Dayimani, 6. Deon Fourie, 5. Marvin Orie, 4. Ruben van Heerden, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Joseph Dweba, 1. Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16. JJ Kotze, 17. Ali Vermaak, 18. Neethling Fouche, 19. Gary Porter, 20. Ben-Jason Dixon, 21. Willie Engelbrecht, 22. Paul de Wet, 23. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
IOL Sport