Stormers and Bulls name strong teams for 'festive' URC derby

The battle lines have been drawn as the Stormers and Bulls both selected formidable-looking teams for Friday's URC derby in Cape Town.

The Stormers are bringing Dan du Plessis, Suleiman Hartzenberg and Ben-Jason Dixon into the starting line-up for the North-South clash, which kicks off at 19h15 on Friday.

Du Plessis and Hartzenberg will link up in midfield, while Dixon comes into the second row.

Dixon comes in at lock, to replace the injured Salmaan Moerat, while props Ali Vermaak and Neethling Fouche have both been included among the replacements.

Damian Willemse shifts to fullback, while Godlen Masimla comes onto the bench in place of the injured Herschel Jantjies.

Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that his team are looking forward to what should be a great occasion.

"These 'festive derbies' are going to become part of our rugby tradition going forward so this is an exciting new chapter in the rivalry between the two teams.

"We have had some injury disruptions this week, but have managed to build some good depth this season and you can be sure that every player in our matchday squad will be ready to give it everything.

"This is a big match for both sets of fans and we are looking forward to what should be a fantastic atmosphere at DHL Stadium on Friday," he said.

Meanwhile, the Bulls welcome back captain Ruan Nortje and star Springboks Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie as boss Jake White recalls many of the big guns who were rested while the Bulls were away on Champions Cup duty.

Scrumhalf Embrose Papier starts with Zak Burger primed to get a run from the bench. Lionel Mapoe slots in at outside centre with David Kriel still sidelined through injury.

On the bench, Bismarck du Plessis comes in for Jan-Hendrik Wessels, with Sebastian Lombard replacing Francois Klopper and Stravino Jacobs completing the impact squad at 23.

Nortje's men head to the Cape for the first time since their valiant defeat in last season's URC final, but the skipper was quick to stress this wasn't a grudge match.

"It was a special game to be a part of, where there had to be a loser and a winner and unfortunately for us that day we came just short. It was obviously tough to lose in the final but we have put the past behind us and have had an exciting week as we build up to the match because the North versus South derby is always massive, for all of us," he said.

DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Willie Engelbrecht, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ben-Jason Dixon, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).

Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Clayton Blommetjies.

Vodacom Bulls: 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Marco Van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje (c), 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.

Replacements: 16 Bismarck Du Plessis, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Chris Smit, 23 Stravino Jacobs.

Date: Friday, December 23

Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town

Kick-off: 19:15