Willemse raring to go as Stormers name strong side to face Leinster

Captain Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Marvin Orie and Damian Willemse all make their return for the table-topping encounter at the RDS Arena, which kicks off at 21h35 local time on Friday.

Willemse is joined in midfield by Dan du Plessis, while Paul de Wet partners Manie Libbok at halfback with Herschel Jantjies and Jean-Luc du Plessis on the replacements bench.

Hacjivah Dayimani is also back in the starting line-up at No 8, with Deon Fourie and Ben-Jason Dixon on the flanks. Orie will link up with Ruben van Heerden in the second row while Kitshoff and Malherbe will be on either side of hooker Joseph Dweba at scrum time.

Stormers Head Coach John Dobson said that his team is looking forward to testing themselves in Dublin.

"It is great to have these Boks back in the mix this week and we are looking forward to seeing what they bring in what will be a tough game away from home.

"It has been some time since some of these players featured for us, so hopefully the game time will stand them all in good stead as we head towards the end of the season," he said.

Meanwhile, following an extended physical and mental break from the game, Bok star Willemse is refreshed and ready to give his best for the Stormers once again.

The 24-year-old says that the break was just what he needed and he returns hungrier than ever to get back to active duty for the reigning champions.

"The mental break for me, being off for a few weeks and resting the body as well, helped a lot," Willemse said. "And when the boys and I got back into camp with the DHL Stormers everyone was hungry and ready to go again.

"So it was lekker to have a bit of a break and then get back into the action.

"The conditioning camp was tough; we pushed ourselves to another level, and I think the preparation from Andy Edwards [head of athletic performance for the Boks] and the medical team was great and put us in a good position to go back to our franchises and compete to the best of our ability and stay sharp."

The Stormers on Friday will face a Leinster side that has been unstoppable this season in the URC, and are set to clash for the first time in Dublin.

"We're all excited, being our first trip to the RDS Arena, and Leinster is a great side and they're the log leaders," Willemse said. "I'm buzzing for the challenge.

"If we play to our strengths and implement the game plan that we want to play, it'll be a huge confidence boost for us going into the playoffs.

"We're going there to make ourselves proud. We might play them again in the final if both teams advance in the competition, so we're going there to win the game."

DHL Stormers: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Dan du Plessis, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).

Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Willie Engelbrecht, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Jean-Luc du Plessis.