Sacha drops to Stormers bench, here’s why!
The Stormers have named a powerful line up for Saturday's clash against Toulon, but Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been named on the bench.
The Stormers will be playing for a place in the quarter-finals when they take on Toulon on Saturday, and all pre-match expectations were that Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu would be wearing the No 10 jersey once again.
However, coach John Dobson has rather opted to execute a role change for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who has endured some inconsistent form at times this season.
Yet Dobson explained that the decision to shift Feinberg-Mngomezulu to the bench was designed for maximum impact late in the game, which he said was the same thought process when it came naming JD Schickerling among the substitutes as well.
“We thought guys like JD and Sacha could make a helluva difference coming on. We just have to be careful with their load.
“There’s no element of merit of JD being dropped or Sacha or anything like that. It’s just that we felt this is the right game looking at some of the loads and the games we’ve got coming up over the next few weeks.”
Jurie Matthee starts at 10 as Sacha joins Stormers’ ‘bomb squad’
Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach makes his return from injury and will partner Matthee in an all-new halfback pairing, with Imad Khan and Feinberg-Mngomezulu on a replacements bench that also features Wandisile Simelane.
Up front props Neethling Fouché and Oli Kebble come into the starting line-up after impressive showings in the second half against Edinburgh last weekend, while the versatile Deon Fourie reprises the role he played in the last Rugby World Cup final by providing cover for starting hooker André-Hugo Venter.
Connor Evans starts alongside Adré Smith in the second row, while in the loose trio Hacjivah Dayimani makes his first start since returning to the Stormers, with Ben-Jason Dixon ruled out due to concussion picked up against Edinburgh.
Fourie is joined by Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zachary Porthen, JD Schickerling and Marcel Theunissen on a strong replacements bench which is sure to make a significant impact in the second half.
Dobson said that his team is ready to give it a full go in the south of France.
“We have come up against Toulon in this competition before, so we know that we can expect intensity for 80 minutes on the pitch. What will be a new experience for us is to play at the Stade Felix Mayol, which is renowned for its unique atmosphere.
“We have picked a team that we feel can sustain a significant challenge from start to finish, and we are all looking forward to what should be a great occasion for rugby,” he said.
How the team looks
Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Damian Willemse, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Connor Evans, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Oli Kebble.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Imad Khan, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
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