Damian Willemse becomes the 11th Stormers centurion as John Dobson rotates his lineup to face Dragons at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday in round 17 of the Vodacom URC.
The Stormers, hosting the Welsh outfit in the shadow of Table Mountain for the first time, are sixth on the table with two rounds remaining of the league stages.
The Capetonians claimed a bonus-point victory against Benetton in round 16, while the last-placed Dragons travelled to the Mother City looking for just their second win of the competition this season.
Willemse reaches the 100-cap milestone, and at the age of just 27 the youngest to do so, linking up with Wandisile Simelane in midfield. Englishman Ben Loader on the wing is the only other change to the starting backline.
Loosehead prop Vernon Matongo makes his first start for the Cape outfit, and is joined in the front row by Springbok hooker Joseph Dweba, while Zach Porthen is set to make his Stormers debut from the bench.
This week’s match also gives fans the opportunity to say farewell to veteran prop Brok Harris, who ends his remarkable career with more Stormers caps (10) than any other player.
Dobson pays tribute to Willemse and Harris, who have both made an immense contribution to the team.
WATCH: Damian, the dazzling 100-percenter
“Damian and Brok both embody what it means to be a Stormers, although they could not be much more different. Both are special players and wonderful people who have given so much to this team, so it will be fantastic to recognise that on Saturday,” the director of rugby said.
“I don’t think Damian always gets the recognition that he deserves for what he brings to our team. This is someone who has proven himself at the highest level and would walk into any team in the world.
“You will not find a more professional player, but what really stands out is his commitment and loyalty. It means so much for him to represent this team and our supporters, so this is a big moment in the career of one of our greatest players.”
Dobson adds that it will be important for his team to continue building momentum with the playoffs.
“We were happy with the performance in our last match against Benetton, but we cannot take a backwards step now. We want to keep building and adding to our game so that we are ready for whatever gets thrown at us in the knock-out phase of the competition,” he said.
STORMERS – 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Ben Loader, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Marcel Theunissen, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c), 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Bench: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Louw Nel, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Dan du Plessis, 23 Suleiman Hartzenberg.
Here is our team to take on Dragons RFC at DHL Stadium on Saturday. See you there!
Team announcement https://t.co/mWybyO3DhC
Tickets here https://t.co/zaZJN2PvTe#STOvDRA #iamastormer @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/cVSz3t8OJz
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) May 9, 2025
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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