Springbok captain Jean de Villiers will lead the DHL Stormers into battle in the absence of Schalk Burger (calf muscle injury), whilst there are first-ever Vodacom Super Rugby starts for new recruits Jaco Taute, Elton Jantjies and Pat Cilliers.
Twenty-one-year-old centre Damian de Allende, who started in the 2012 Absa Currie Cup Final, will get his first-ever taste of Super Rugby action, whilst, on the bench, Nizaam Carr (knee) and Dewaldt Duvenage (broken leg) make their returns are spending some time on the sidelines last year.
Reserve hooker Martin Bezuidenhout will be hoping for his first official game time in a Stormers jersey after featuring in pre-season games against the Cheetahs and Boland, whilst Springbok lock Andries Bekker will play in his 95th Super Rugby match for the DHL Stormers.
The DHL Stormers team is:
15. Jaco Taute
14. Gio Aplon
13. Jean de Villiers (captain)
12. Damian de Allende
11. Bryan Habana
10. Elton Jantjies
9. Nic Groom
8. Duane Vermeulen
7. Rynhardt Elstadt
6. Siya Kolisi
5. Andries Bekker
4. De Kock Steenkamp
3. Pat Cilliers
2. Deon Fourie
1. Steven Kitshoff
Reserves:
16. Martin Bezuidenhout
17. Frans Malherbe
18. Don Armand
19. Nizaam Carr
20. Dewaldt Duvenage
21. Gerhard van den Heever
22. Joe Pietersen