Super Rugby preview: Stormers host Lions at Newlands on Saturday

The hosts have named Peter Grant at full-back as Springbok captain Jean de Villiers returns to face the Lions, whom the Stormers lost 34-10 to in Round 2 of the competition.

De Villiers assumes the team captaincy from Duane Vermeulen and will line up at inside centre, with Damian de Allende shifting back to the right-wing - in place of the injured Kobus van Wyk - for the Stormers' second all-South African encounter of the season.

In other changes amongst the backs, Nic Groom and Demetri Catrakilis return to form a new-look half-back combination, with Grant shifting to full-back and Jaco Taute dropping down to the bench.

The Stormers pack remains unchanged from their previous clash - the 22-11 defeat to the Waratahs in Cape Town two weeks ago - but there are a number of additions to the replacements.

Joining Taute on the bench are fit-again prop Pat Cilliers and lock Jurie van Vuuren, whilst winger Devon Williams - top try-scorer in the 2014 Vodacom Cup - comes into a Super Rugby matchday squad for the first time in his fledgling career.

"It's obviously great to welcome back Jean de Villiers this week, but so too Pat Cilliers and Jurie van Vuuren from injury," said head coach Allister Coetzee.

"Jurie is part of a youthful bench, four of whom were still playing Under-21 rugby last season and two who are still eligible for the DHL WP U21 team this year.

Never afraid

"We have never been afraid to give young players a chance at the DHL Stormers and it's always an exciting time when someone is on the verge of making his debut as is the case with Devon.

"We know that the Lions are a quality side, as they showed against us in Johannesburg earlier this season.

"We were poor at managing the Lions' contestable kicking game at Ellis Park and our line-out also didn't function well enough. It's a different venue, here at sea level, but we really have to ensure that our set-piece fires."

For the Lions, winger Anthony Volmink makes his first Super Rugby start of the season.

In the forwards, boss Johan Ackermann has named Robbie Coetzee as his starting hooker, replacing Willie Wepener, while Jaco Kriel returns to the starting lineup on the openside flank.

Ross Cronje is named at scrum-half, while Volmink is joined in the back-three by full-back Chrysander Botha.

Stormers: 15 Grant, 14 de Allende, 13 de Jongh, 12 de Villiers (capt), 11 Tagicakibau, 10 Catrakilis, 9 Groom; 1 Kitshoff, 2 Fourie, 3 Malherbe, 4 Botha, 5 Rhodes, 6 Carr, 7 Kolisi, 8 Vermeulen.

Replacements: 16 Coetzee, 17 Cilliers, 18 Harris, 19 van Vuuren, 20 Notshe, 21 Schreuder, 22 Williams, 23 Taute.

Lions: 15 Botha, 14 Skosan, 13 Mapoe, 12 Watermeyer, 11 Volmink, 10 Boshoff, 9 Cronje; 1 van der Merwe, 2 Coetzee, 3 Redelinghuys, 4 Muller, 5 Mostert, 6 Kriel, 7 Minnie, 8 Whiteley (capt).

Replacements: 16 Marx, 17 Fourie, 18 Dreyer, 19 Lusaseni, 20 Britz, 21 de Klerk, 22 Jantjies, 23 Jonker.