Roos returns for Stormers as six forwards named on bench against Bristol
Evan Roos returns for the Stormers' Champions Cup opener against Bristol on Saturday in Cape Town. A bench with six forwards offers clues to their options for the match.
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The Stormers open their Champions Cup campaign on Saturday 17 October in Cape Town with Evan Roos back at number 8. Against English club Bristol, they keep their backline intact and pick six forwards among their eight replacements. Kick-off is at 15:15 in Brazzaville, which is 16:15 at the DHL Stadium.
Roos in, front row changes
Roos's return comes as Hacjivah Dayimani is missing. Dayimani is ruled out after a concussion, while Roos returns from a hamstring injury and will play his first match of the season. He is paired in the back row with Paul de Villiers and Siya Kolisi.
All three starting front-row players change too, with Vernon Matongo, JJ Kotzé and Sazi Sandi starting. André-Hugo Venter and Ntuthuko Mchunu take places on the bench, joined by prop Zachary Porthen. These are the only changes to the side that beat the Sharks, another South African franchise.
What the six-forward bench means
Among the eight replacements, the Stormers have named six forwards and two backs. Connor Evans, Riley Norton and Deon Fourie join the three front-row players. Haashim Pead and Warrick Gelant are the other two options.
That split gives them more ways to refresh the pack for scrums and for rucks after tackles. The trade-off is fewer replacements earmarked for the backline. When those players come on and which positions they fill remain to be decided during the match, and the team selection does not allow them to be announced in advance.
The marker to watch: how the Stormers hold up up front after the changes.
Continuity behind the pack
Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu form the half-back pairing, at scrum-half and fly-half. Captain Ruhan Nel partners Jonathan Roche in the centres, with Seabelo Senatla and Leolin Zas on the wings and Damian Willemse at full-back.
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs. The Stormers come into this fixture after their win over the Sharks by 39 to 22, but they are switching competitions. The challenge is to turn that continuity into a good start in the European pool stage, against opponents they have never met before.
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File photo: Zebre v Stormers, Parma, 8 October 2022. © Stefano Delfrate / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Layout and SNA logo added; photographic composition under the same licence.
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