Dobson names URC Stormers squad packed with Springbok players, future stars
· Citizen
Stormers boss John Dobson has named a powerful 56-man squad for the upcoming United Rugby Championship season, which gets underway next Friday.
The Stormers are the inaugural winners of the competition.
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Ruhan Nel will lead the squad in 2026/27, which also includes several current double World Cup-winning Springboks as well as a number of the world championship-winning Junior Boks squad from last year and this season.
No less than 18 players who triumphed in the URC final in the 2021/22 season are still part of the setup.
“Last season, we fielded a team that had 1,569 Stormers caps between them, which was the most in the history of the club and a marker that we want to build on as we seek to realise the goals of Project 2029,” said Dobson on Thursday.
“Given the experienced core we have who have stayed loyal to us for so long, the iconic players returning to the fold and the young talent coming through our system, we feel well-positioned to build on last season, which saw us host play-off rugby in Cape Town and push some of the best club teams in the world in knock-out matches on their home turf.
“We have a solid base of experienced players who form the backbone of the squad, with the intention to compete seriously on all fronts this season, while we also have the talent pipeline in place, with the Stormers Rugby Institute continually developing players that are ready to step into the senior squad.
“We face a challenging start to the season, but after putting in the work in pre-season this group is ready to represent our fans and we cannot wait to get started in Galway next week,” he said.
Stormers squad for URC 2026/27 (caps in brackets)
Props
Neethling Fouché (114), Oli Kebble (57), Sazi Sandi (52), Wilco Louw (52), Vernon Matongo (22), Ntuthuko Mchunu (19), Zachary Porthen (15), Hencus van Wyk (2), Herman Lubbe (1), Olly Reid (1)
Hookers
André-Hugo Venter (89), JJ Kotzé (58), Lukhanyo Vokozela (4), Vernon Paulo (0), Luca Bakkes (0)
Locks
JD Schickerling (74), Adré Smith (69), Connor Evans (40), Gary Porter (19), Riley Norton (0)
Loose Forwards
Deon Fourie (141), Siya Kolisi (118), Marcel Theunissen (95), Evan Roos (87), Ben-Jason Dixon (86), Hacjivah Dayimani (64), Paul de Villiers (36), Keke Morabe (19), Louw Nel (13), Ruan Ackermann (10), Wandile Mlaba (2), Divan Fuller (0)
Scrumhalves
Stefan Ungerer (47), Imad Khan (18), Cobus Reinach (9), Ezekiel Ngobeni (0), Jayden Brits (0)
Flyhalves
Jean-Luc du Plessis (61), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (53), Jurie Matthee (29), Yaqeen Ahmed (1), Kyle Smith (0)
Centres
Ruhan Nel (90), Wandisile Simelane (41), Jonathan Roche (16), Markus Muller (1), Josh Boulle (0)
Wings
Leolin Zas (99), Seabelo Senatla (74) Cheslin Kolbe (49), JC Mars (3), Mfundo Ndhlovu (1), Joel Leotlela (0), Gino Cupido (0)
Fullbacks
Damian Willemse (118), Warrick Gelant (77)