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Stormers name youngsters for Loftus

Cape Town - Springbok inside centre Damian de Allende will line up in the No 12 jersey for the Stormers, as the men from the Cape open their 2015 Super Rugby campaign against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (19:10 kick-off).

De Allende is one of three Springboks in the Stormers’ starting XV, whilst fit-again loose forward Nizaam Carr has been named on the bench to take the squad tally of Boks to four.

In all, there are six Stormers debutants in the match-day squad, three in the starting XV and three on the bench, with wings Johnny Kotze and Dillyn Leyds and tighthead prop Vincent Koch the new faces in the run-on side.

The new faces on the bench are hooker Bongi Mbonambi - who, of course, has Super Rugby experience with the Bulls - tighthead prop Wilco Louw and outside back Huw Jones.

Both Kotze and Leyds are graduates of the WP Rugby Institute and cup-winning WP Under-21 set-ups, with Leyds having had a brief taste of Super Rugby in the colours of the Western Force in 2014.

Skipper Duane Vermeulen will lead the team from the No 8 position in a match which head coach Allister Coetzee describes as a “tough assignment” and a “great challenge”.

“It is (a tough assignment),” Coetzee told the Stormers’ official website, “but it’s been done before.”

The Stormers will start their season on the Highveld for the third year in a row - having played away to the Bulls in 2013 and the Lions in 2014 - and Coetzee added: “This is a great Bulls team - jam-packed with Springboks.

“It’s a great challenge for us, but we have prepared well and, most importantly, the players are comfortable in their roles and with their responsibilities in the team and, of course, the expectations placed on them.

“We’re looking forward to getting our campaign underway after a good pre-season and, as everyone knows, there’s no greater challenge than facing the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld - be it your first game or your last game of the season.”

Teams:

Bulls:

15. Jurgen Visser, 14. Bjorn Basson, 13. JJ Engelbrecht, 12. Jan Serfontein, 11. Francois Hougaard, 10. Handre Pollard, 9. Piet van Zyl, 8. Arno Botha, 7. Lappies Labuschagne, 6. Deon Stegmann, 5. Victor Matfield (captain), 4. Jacques du Plessis, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Adriaan Strauss, 1. Trevor Nyakane

Substitutes: 16. Callie Visagie, 17. Morne Mellet, 18. Dayan vd Westhuizen/Neethling Fouche, 19. Grant Hattingh, 20. Pierre Spies, 21. Rudy Paige, 22. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 23. Jesse Kriel

Stormers:

15. Cheslin Kolbe, 14. Johnny Kotze, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Dillyn Leyds, 10. Demetri Catrakilis, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7. Michael Rhodes, 6. Rynhardt Elstadt, 5. Ruan Botha, 4. Jean Kleyn, 3. Vincent Koch, 2. Scarra Ntubeni, 1. Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16. Bongi Mbonambi, 17. Oli Kebble, 18. Wilco Louw, 19. Jurie van Vuuren, 20. Nizaam Carr, 21. Louis Schreuder, 22. Kurt Coleman, 23. Huw Jones

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