Stormers hand Muller and Pead first starts against Scarlets
Paul de Villiers remains Stormers captain on Saturday 24 October in Cape Town. Markus Muller and Haashim Pead will start, against a Scarlets side without five Wales internationals.
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The Stormers are changing their combinations but not their captain. Paul de Villiers will lead the Cape Town side against the Scarlets on Saturday 24 October at the DHL Stadium, in round four of the United Rugby Championship. Kick-off is at 16:00 in South Africa, which is 15:00 in Brazzaville.
Two first starts give the line-up its interest: Markus Muller will begin at centre and Haashim Pead at scrum-half. After the European win over Bristol, John Dobson is thus opening up a new starting option for two of his backs, with senior players available on the bench.
New partnerships, captain retained
Muller will form the centre pairing with Wandisile Simelane. Ruhan Nel is being rested as a precaution, so de Villiers keeps the captaincy he took over when Nel had to withdraw from the Bristol match. The change in the centres also raises the question of how this still-new pairing will find each other in attack and coordinate in defence.
At scrum-half, Pead will be partnered by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, while Cobus Reinach will begin among the replacements. The selection gives the young scrum-half control of the game from the start, with another option available later in the match. Warrick Gelant will start at full-back.
The changes also affect the pack. Hacjivah Dayimani returns at number eight, Evan Roos moves to the flank and Riley Norton will partner Connor Evans in the second row. Zachary Porthen, André-Hugo Venter and Ntuthuko Mchunu will make up the front row. The bench includes Deon Fourie, JD Schickerling and Adré Smith.
Scarlets strengthened up front, but without five internationals
The visitors have brought thirty players to South Africa to play the Stormers and then the Bulls on 31 October in Pretoria. Lock Tom Allen, fresh from New Zealand, joins the tour party. Prop Corey Domachowski is also back among the available players.
However, Ryan Elias, Sam Costelow, Eddie James, Ellis Mee and Blair Murray have stayed in Wales for a planned recovery period. These absences are not a list of five new injuries: they are part of managing their workload between club and country.
The Scarlets arrive on the back of two wins, against Benetton and then Newcastle. The Stormers will therefore need to give their new combinations cohesion quickly, against opponents whose tour begins with different options from those of the opening weeks.