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Stormers young guns excite Coetzee

Cape Town - Stormers coach Allister Coetzee is excited by the number of promising young players in their squad as they prepare for Super Rugby.

A 39-man Stormers squad will depart for Hermanus on Tuesday afternoon for a four-day training camp ahead of the 2015 Super Rugby competition.

Scarra Ntubeni, Eben Etzebeth, Duane Vermeulen, Nizaam Carr and Damian de Allende - all of whom toured with the Springboks at the end of last year - will all travel to Hermanus, along with capped Springboks, Siya Kolisi, Juan de Jongh and Jaco Taute.

Props Wilco Louw and Frans van Wyk, both of whom are still eligible for the Western Province Under-21 team, are among the new faces in the squad, joining flyhalf Robert du Preez, centres Johnny Kotze and Huw Jones and fullback EW Viljoen as the other newbies in the selection mix.

Du Preez, Kotze, Jones and Viljoen are all graduates of the WP Under-21 set-up from 2014, along with hooker Michael Willemse, lock Jurie van Vuuren and loose forward Sikhumbuzo Notshe, all of whom had a brief taste of Super Rugby action in 2014.

National skipper Jean de Villiers is on the long-term injury list, whilst experienced loose forward Schalk Burger will join up with the Stormers squad at the conclusion of his commitments in Japan next month.

Prop Frans Malherbe (ankle) and locks Jean Kleyn (AC Joint) and Ruan Botha (ankle) are the only players not training flat-out at the moment. However, all three are on track with their rehabilitation from injuries suffered last year.

Speaking to the official Stormers website, Coetzee said:
"The coaches reported for duty last Tuesday and our players came back on (the) Wednesday - all hungry and determined to put their best foot forward from the start.

"We have a young squad, as you can see with seven players graduating from the Under-21 team and going straight into the Stormers squad and (props) Wilco Louw (a new signing) and Frans van Wyk (from the Under-19 team) both still being Under-21.

"You could sense even more energy at training today and I look forward to seeing the players take it up a notch in Hermanus and then as we build up towards our three pre-season friendlies."

The Stormers will head to Hermanus for the fifth year in a row, ahead of their three pre-season friendlies between January 24 and February 7 against SWD, the Cheetahs and the Boland Cavaliers, respectively. Those exact dates, kick-off times and venues will be confirmed later this week.

The Stormers will open their 2015 Super Rugby campaign against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday, February 14. Their first home game is against the Blues, at Newlands, on Saturday, February 21.

Stormers pre-season squad for Hermanus camp:

Ruan Botha

Manuel Carizza
Nizaam Carr
Demetri Catrakilis
Kurt Coleman
Damian de Allende
Juan de Jongh
Robert du Preez
Ryno Eksteen
Eben Etzebeth
Rynhardt Elstadt
Gerbrandt Grobler
Nic Groom
Huw Jones
Oli Kebble
Steven Kitshoff
Jean Kleyn
Vincent Koch
Cheslin Kolbe
Siya Kolisi
Johnny Kotze
Dillyn Leyds
Wilco Louw
Frans Malherbe
Godlen Masimla
Bongi Mbonambi
Sikhumbuzo Notshe
Scarra Ntubeni
Neil Rautenbach
Michael Rhodes
Louis Schreuder
Jaco Taute
Jurie van Vuuren
Frans van Wyk
Kobus van Wyk
Alistair Vermaak
Duane Vermeulen
EW Viljoen
Michael Willemse

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