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'Right thing' to pick Grant

Cape Town - Stormers coach Allister Coetzee says it was the right thing to do to pick Peter Grant in the starting line-up for his 100th Super Rugby game for the franchise.

Grant was picked ahead of Kurt Coleman, who provided a spark on attack in their last two games against the Highlanders and Bulls, for this Saturday's clash against the Western Force at Newlands.

Grant will follow in the footsteps of Andries Bekker (105) and Jean de Villiers (104) in playing 100 matches for the Stormers, having first played for Western Province in 2004 and making his Stormers debut in 2006.

Coetzee, in an interview with Die Burger's website, said the decision to demote Coleman was by no means a surprise.

He said Grant has been a stalwart to the union for many years and picking him to start in his 100th game was a "matter of respect".

Coetzee said it "depicts their team culture" and was simply "the right thing to do".

However, despite his statements, Coetzee insisted that the decision to start with Grant was NOT based on sentiment.

He said Grant's "experience and virtue" will be vital to their cause on Saturday.

It is no secret that Grant's form has been well below par this season, with his goal-kicking probably the biggest worry.

Saturday's clash kicks off at 17:05.

Teams:

Stormers:

15. Jaco Taute, 14. Kobus van Wyk, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Cheslin Kolbe, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Schalk Burger (captain), 6. Nizaam Carr, 5. Ruan Botha, 4. Michael Rhodes, 3. Pat Cilliers, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. Brok Harris

Substitutes: 16. Stephan Coetzee, 17. Alistair Vermaak, 18. Martin Dreyer, 19. Jean Kleyn, 20. Siya Kolisi, 21. Dylon Frylinck, 22. Kurt Coleman, 23. Michael van der Spuy

Force:

15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Marcel Brache, 13 Chris Tuatara-Morrison, 12 Luke Burton, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Ian Prior, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Matt Hodgson (captain), 6 Angus Cottrell, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Kieran Longbottom, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan

Substitutes: 16 Heath Tessmann, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Ollie Hoskins, 19 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 20 Brynard Stander, 21 Justin Turner, 22 Zack Holmes, 23 Patrick Dellit

HAVE YOUR SAY: ho would be your first choice flyhalf for the Stormers and why? Send your thoughts to Sport24.
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