Fouche steps in for Malherbe as Stormers opt for continuity against Lions

Tighthead prop Neethling Fouche has been awarded a start for Saturday's United Rugby Championship clash against the Lions at the Cape Town Stadium.

Fouche, a Grey College product, comes in for the injured Frans Malherbe as Stormers coach John Dobson made just one change to the side that beat the Bulls last week.

Hooker Andre-Hugo Venter and props Brok Harris and Sazi Sandi have been included among the replacements for the encounter with the Johannesburg side.

Dobson was chuffed to have made just one change as his side looks to end what has been a successful year for the Stormers on a high.

"We were obviously pleased with the result last week in front of what was an incredible crowd at Cape Town Stadium. We feel that with a bit more time together, these combinations can perform even better," Dobson said.

"We have challenged the players to end the year on a high and reward the fans who come out to watch us on New Year's Eve."

Kick-off will be at 19.00.

Teams

Stormers

15 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 Neethling Fouche, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain)

Substitutes: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Clayton Blommetjies.

Lions

15 Quan Horn, 14 Sibahle Maxwane, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Pieter Jansen Van Vuuren, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 JP Smith

Substitutes: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Morgan Naude,