Damian Willemse is set to make his long-awaited return from injury after being included in a 29-man DHL Stormers squad for a three-week European tour in the Vodacom URC.
Willemse, who missed the end of the 2023-24 URC, the July Test series and the 2024 Rugby Championship due to a finger injury, has completed pre-season training with the Stormers and is in line to face the Ospreys, Zebre Parma and Edinburgh.
The two-time Springbok world champion will likely start at flyhalf in the absence of Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – Libbok is currently with the Boks while Feinberg-Mngomezulu is ruled out after undergoing knee surgery.
The Stormers, fresh off a 45-26 pre-season win over the Pumas, kick off their 2024-25 URC campaign against Welsh outfit Ospreys at Dunraven Brewery Field on Saturday, before clashes with Zebre (5 October) and Edinburgh (12 October) in Italy and Scotland, respectively.
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Willemse is one of four Boks selected by director of rugby John Dobson for the trip overseas, along with outside back Warrick Gelant and hookers Andre-Hugo Venter and Joseph Dweba.
Seasoned campaigners Brok Harris and Ruhan Nel will also board the plane, along with newcomer Dave Ewers and promising youngster Louw Nel, in a 16-15 split between forwards and backs.
Towering lock JD Schickerling and veteran scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage are expected to make their first competitive appearances after returning to the Stormers this season.
Full Stormers tour squad – Forwards: Adre Smith, Andre-Hugo Venter, Brok Harris, Dave Ewers, Hendre Stassen, JD Schickerling, JJ Kotze, Joseph Dweba, Keke Morabe, Leon Lyons, Louw Nel, Marcel Theunissen, Neethling Fouche, Ruben van Heerden, Sazi Sandi, Sti Sithole. Backs: Angelo Davids, Damian Willemse, Dan du Plessis, Dewaldt Duvenage, Jean-Luc du Plessis, Jurie Matthee, Leolin Zas, Paul de Wet, Ruhan Nel, Stefan Ungerer, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Wandisile Simelane, Warrick Gelant.
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
