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Exeter make one XV change, Stormers two for quarter-final clash
By
Liam Heagney
Exeter have confirmed that their team for Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final at home to the Stormers contains just one change from last weekend’s round-of-16 elimination XV against Montpellier.
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Rob Baxter’s side squeezed past the French champions on the try count rule following a 33-all draw after extra time and the director of rugby has opted to keep faith with the exact same starting team that was originally picked for that match.
Olly Woodburn had been chosen at left wing last weekend but he was late cry-off on matchday, his place going to Rory O’Loughlin. That decision had now been reversed, with Woodburn chosen to start in an XV that is otherwise unchanged.
There is also one bench alteration with Stuart Hogg shaking off an ankle issue to replace Josh Hodge as the 23rd man.
The URC champion Stormers, who last weekend comfortably saw off Harlequins in Cape Town, have changed two of their starting back row with Junior Pokomela and Marcel Theunisse promoted from the bench in place of the absent Deon Fourie and the benched Hacjivah Dayimani.
Fourie, who tweeted on Thursday about his altercation with Joe Marler in the round of 16, has a fractured cheekbone. It was officially described as a ‘medial orbital wall fracture’ in the Stormers’ team release. The absence of the back-rower could be huge as he was the man of the match against Quins.
EXETER: 15. Tom Wyatt; 14. Jack Nowell (capt), 13. Henry Slade, 12. Sean O’Brien, 11. Olly Woodburn; 10. Joe Simmonds, 9. Will Becconsall; 1. Scott Sio, 2. Dan Frost, 3. Marcus Street, 4. Jonny Gray, 5. Dafydd Jenkins, 6. Jannes Kirsten, 7. Christ Tshiunza, 8. Sam Simmonds. Reps: 16. Jack Yeandle, 17. Nika Abuladze, 18. Josh Iosefa-Scott, 19. Aidon Davis, 20. Dave Ewers, 21. Tom Cairns, 22. Harvey Skinner, 23. Stuart Hogg.
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STORMERS: 15. Damian Willemse; 14. Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13. Ruhan Nel, 12. Daniel du Plessis, 11. Seabelo Senatla; 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Herschel Jantjies; 1. Steven Kitshoff (capt), 2. Joseph Dweba, 3. Frans Malherbe, 4. Ernst van Rhyn, 5. Marvin Orie, 6. Junior Pokomela, 7. BJ Dixon, 8. Marcel Theunissen. Reps: 16. JJ Kotze, 17. Ali Vermaak, 18. Neethling Fouche, 19. Gary Porter, 20. Willie Engelbrecht, 21. Hacjivah Dayimani, 22. Paul de Wet, 23. Clayton Blommetjies.
