Carr leads Stormers 'B-team' in Durban

Cape Town - Nizaam Carr will lead the Stormers into action, as the 2015 SA Conference winners face up to the Sharks in both teams' final Super Rugby league match of the season in Durban on Saturday (kick-off 19:10).

Carr will line up at No 8 in a much-changed Stormers team from last weekend, the new skipper the only surviving starting player from his team’s 19-19 draw against the Lions at Newlands.

There are three Stormers debutants in the match-day 23, with Robert du Preez starting at No 15 in his first taste of Super Rugby action and flank Sikhumbuzo Notshe and hooker Michael Willemse making their first starts at this level.

Lock Jan de Klerk and scrumhalf Godlen Masimla will be looking to earn their first caps from the bench, while vice-captain Jaco Taute (inside centre - in his 50th overall Super Rugby appearance), Michael Rhodes (No 7) and Kobus van Wyk (on the bench) are back in the mix following their injury lay-offs.

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee explained his selections on the team’s official website website: “We have a great opportunity here to give game time to some fringe players and to continue to increase the capacity within our squad.

“Players like Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Manny Carizza, Schalk Burger, Duane Vermeulen, Nic Groom, Demetri Catrakilis, Damian de Allende, Juan de Jongh, Dillyn Leyds and Cheslin Kolbe have played a lot of rugby and deserve a break.

“However, the likes of Oli Kebble, Vincent Koch, Ruan Botha, Michael Rhodes, Louis Schreuder, Kurt Coleman, Jaco Taute, Johnny Kotze - to name just a few - are by no means second-string players and they all have a massive opportunity to play for starting positions.

“We’re in a fortunate position to be able to select a talented group of players who have everything to play for against a Sharks team that will be fired up and looking to finish their season on a high.

“The Sharks are also saying goodbye to three big players, loyal servants, so we’re expecting a brutal clash and (we) know we need to be up for this match - physically and mentally.”

Teams:

Sharks:

15. Lwazi Mvovo, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. JP Pietersen, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. S’bura Sithole, 10. Lionel Cronje, 9. Stefan Ungerer, 8. Renaldo Bothma, 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 5. Marco Wentzel (captain), 4. Etienne Oosthuizen, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16. Franco Marais, 17. Dale Chadwick, 18. Lourens Adriaanse, 19. Lubabalo Mtyanda, 20. Khaya Majola, 21. Conrad Hoffmann, 22. Fred Zeilinga, 23. Heimar Williams

Stormers:

15. Robert du Preez, 14. Johnny Kotze, 13. Huw Jones, 12. Jaco Taute, 11. Pat Howard, 10. Kurt Coleman, 9. Louis Schreuder, 8. Nizaam Carr (captain), 7. Michael Rhodes, 6. Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5. Ruan Botha, 4. Jean Kleyn, 3. Vincent Koch, 2. Michael Willemse, 1. Oli Kebble

Substitutes: 16. Neil Rautenbach, 17. Ali Vermaak, 18. Wilco Louw, 19. Jan de Klerk, 20. Siya Kolisi, 21. Godlen Masimla, 22. Seabelo Senatla, 23. Kobus van Wyk