Springboks lock Pieter-Steph du Toit has been cleared to travel to Australia with the Stormers.
Du Toit missed the Stormers’ opening 28-20 win over the Jaguares with a back injury, but will be on the plane to Sydney, with the South Africans facing the Waratahs on Saturday, followed by matches against the Highlanders and Crusaders.
The Cape Town side are missing Springboks captain Eben Etzebeth, who is still working his way through nerve issues suffered last December, while hooker Bongi Mbonambi has also been ruled out of the tour with a burst appendix.
Mbonambi’s absence opens the door for Dean Muir to make his starting debut against the Waratahs on Saturday.
The Stormers unveiled a teenage star against the Jaguares, with Damian Willemse showing promise at flyhalf.
NSW has its own injury concerns, with hooker Damien Fitzpatrick unlikely to take his place in round one, due to a knee injury, and Nick Phipps is still recovering from a calf.
The Waratahs open their Super Rugby campaign against the Storrmers on Saturday February 24, kicking off at 7:45pm AEDT. Buy tickets here.
SQUAD
Nizaam Carr
Damian de Allende
Jan de Klerk
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Dewaldt Duvenage
JJ Engelbrecht
JC Janse van Rensburg
Steven Kitshoff
Siya Kolisi
Dillyn Leyds
Wilco Louw
SP Marais
Dean Muir
Sikhumbuzo Notshe
Caylib Oosthuizen
Justin Phillips
Raymond Rhule
Carlu Sadie
Ramone Samuels
JD Schickerling
Seabelo Senatla
Kobus van Dyk
Chris van Zyl
EW Viljoen
George Whitehead
Cobus Wiese
Damian Willemse.
