Pokomela leads strong Stormers XV in pre-season clash against SWD

Flank Junior Pokomela will captain a Stormers XV in a pre-season friendly against the South Western Districts Eagles in George on Friday night.

A 26-man playing squad will face the home side at Outeniqua Park in a friendly encounter which kicks off at 19:00 on Friday.

New signings Clayton Blommetjies, Stefan Ungerer and Willie Engelbrecht all feature in the starting line-up which also includes under-21 backline star Suleiman Hartzenberg on the wing.

There is a good mix of youth and experience in the Stormers XV, with the likes of Stormers centurions Juan de Jongh and Brok Harris playing alongside promising prospects such as Mnombo Zwelendaba, who is yet to make his Stormers debut.

The extended bench also includes some seasoned Stormers who will get some valuable game time in the second half.

Stormers head coach John Dobson said that this match is a great opportunity to get the ball rolling in the 2022/23 season at a venue where his squad always enjoy great support.

"We know the passion that the people of George and the surrounding area have for our team, so there is no better place to play our first pre-season friendly.

"The Eagles are always highly motivated for these games, which is exactly what we need at this point as we look to build towards the new season.

"We have a nice mix of youth and experience in this side and they will all be better off for the run out there," he said.

Stormers XV:

15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Tristan Leyds, 13 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 10 Kade Wolhuter, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Marcel Theunissen, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Junior Pokomela (captain), 5 Adre Smith, 4 Ben-Jason Dixon, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Chad Solomon, 1 Kwenzo Blose

Substitutes: 16 Liam Larkan, 17 Leon Lyons, 18