Louw left out, Roos back at number eight
Wilco Louw has been dropped. Not to the bench, out of the 23 altogether. The tighthead started against the Sharks last time out, and John Dobson has moved on from him for the Stormers’ Investec Champions Cup opener against Bristol Bears in Cape Town on Saturday.
Sazi Sandi takes the number three jersey, with JJ Kotzé at hooker and Vernon Matongo at loosehead. André-Hugo Venter and Ntuthuko Mchunu shift to the replacements bench.
The other headline is at the back of the scrum. Evan Roos returns from a hamstring injury and starts at number eight, replacing Hacjivah Dayimani, who is out with concussion.
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Why Dobson changed the front row
Dobson pointed to Bristol’s style. Pat Lam’s side play at high tempo and spread the ball wide, and the Stormers director of rugby suggested Louw may not suit that kind of game. His line was simple: pick the best team to beat them.
He also stressed what the pool stage means in this competition. “We saw last season how important collecting points in the pool phase is in the Investec Champions Cup,” Dobson said. Opening with a home win matters.
Elsewhere the team is largely settled. The backline is unchanged, with Damian Willemse at fullback, Ruhan Nel captaining at outside centre and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at fly-half alongside Cobus Reinach. Siya Kolisi stays at seven, Paul de Villiers at six, and JD Schickerling and Adré Smith keep the second row. Dobson has said he aims to keep around 80 to 90 percent of his selection from week to week, and this XV fits that pattern.
The bench includes Zachary Porthen, Connor Evans, Riley Norton, Deon Fourie, Haashim Pead and Warrick Gelant. Kick-off at DHL Stadium is 16:15 local time on Saturday 17 October, with France’s Kevin Bralley refereeing.
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