Stormers bring out the big guns

Published: Wednesday, 22. February, 2012 in category Super Rugby

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee named a powerful team for the opening match of the season, against the Hurricanes at Newlands on Saturday.

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All but one of their available Springboks will start - with Schalk Burger leading a team that features fellow Boks Bryan Habana (at centre), Jean de Villiers, Gio Aplon and Andries Bekker in the starting XV.

There is no place for Bok prop Deon Carstens, while the injured Juan de Jongh and Peter Grant (still in Japan) are not available.

Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Bryan Habana, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Gio Aplon, 10 Gary van Aswegen, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nick Koster, 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Schalk Burger (captain), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Siya Kolisi, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Marcel Brache.

Date: Saturday, February 25
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT)
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)