Overview
- Kick-off at DHL Stadium is 18:00 SAST, with Sharks vs Lions starting at 15:30 in Durban.
- Damian Willemse marks his 100th Stormers start at inside centre alongside Wandisile Simelane, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at flyhalf and Cobus Reinach at scrumhalf.
- John Dobson recalls Ali Vermaak at loosehead and JD Schickerling at lock, with Ruan Ackermann at openside, targeting the Bulls’ post-contact metres and scrum threat.
- Johan Ackermann restores Ruan Nortjé as Bulls captain, starts Canan Moodie at outside centre and Marco van Staden at openside, keeps Handré Pollard at flyhalf and Willie le Roux at fullback, and retains the Steenekamp–Grobbelaar–Wilco Louw front row.
- The Stormers enter unbeaten and top of the URC table, while the Bulls sit 12th after a multi-game losing run; earlier, the Lions bench Junior Bok scrumhalf Haashim Pead for the Sharks clash, with several Lions ruled out through injury and concussion protocols.