Dan du Plessis, Suleiman Hartzenberg and Ben-Jason Dixon all come into the Stormers starting line-up for their United Rugby Championship encounter against the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium on Friday.Du Plessis and Hartzenberg will link up in midfield as the Stormers go for a new-look centre pairing, while Dixon comes into the second row for the North-South clash, which kicks off at 19:15.
Dixon comes in at lock, to replace the injured Salmaan Moerat, while props Ali Vermaak and Neethling Fouche have both been included among the replacements.
Springbok Damian Willemse shifts to fullback, while Godlen Masimla comes onto the bench in place of the injured halfback Herschel Jantjies.
Stormers coach John Dobson said that his team are looking forward to what should be a great occasion.READ | Italy prop gifted rotten banana for 'Secret Santa', accuses Benetton teammates of racism"These 'festive derbies' are going to become part of our rugby tradition going forward so this is an exciting new chapter in the rivalry between the two teams," Dobson said. "We have had some injury disruptions this week, but have managed to build some good depth this season and you can be sure that every player in our matchday squad will be ready to give it everything."This is a big match for both sets of fans and we are looking forward to what should be a fantastic atmosphere at DHL Stadium on Friday." Teams:Stormers15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ben-Jason Dixon, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain). Substitutes: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling