Stormers get a Bok boost
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck named a 27-man squad for the road trip.
After getting their 2018 campaign off to a winning start with a 28-20 victory against the Jaguares at Newlands on Saturday, the Stormers fly to Sydney on Sunday – where they will face the Waratahs in the second round.
From Sydney, the squad will then travel to New Zealand for encounters with the Highlanders and Crusaders, before heading back to Cape Town.
Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi has been ruled out of the trip after undergoing emergency surgery – due to a burst appendix.
However, there is good news on the injury front – with lock Pieter-Steph du Toit cleared to tour after recovering from a back injury.
Mbonambi's withdrawal means that hooker Dean Muir, who made his Stormers debut off the replacements bench against the Jaguares, is included in the touring squad along with the likes of loose forward Sikhumbuzo Notshe and prop Caylib Oosthuizen, who did not feature in the opening game at Newlands.
Fleck said that the squad is looking forward to the tour as they look to build on what they achieved in their opening game at Newlands.
"We enjoy touring as a group and feel that there were plenty of positives in our performance against the Jaguares that we can build on in the coming weeks.
"The players have embraced the challenges that lie ahead of us and will be going all-out to raise our game further away from home," he said.
Stormers squad: Nizaam Carr, Damian de Allende, Jan de Klerk, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Dewaldt Duvenage, Johannes Engelbrecht, Jacobus Janse van Rensburg, Steven Kitshoff, Siyamthanda Kolisi (captain), Dillyn Leyds, Wilco Louw, Sarel Marais, Dean Muir, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Caylib Oosthuizen, Justin Phillips, Raymond Rhule, Carlu Sadie, Ramone Samuels, John Schickerling, Seabelo Senatla, Kobus van Dyk, Chris van Zyl, EW Viljoen, George Whitehead, Cobus Wiese, Damian Willemse.
