Head coach Dwayne Peel has bolstered the Scarlets lineup with South Africans Marnus van der Merwe and Jarrod Taylor to face the Stormers at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.
Van der Merwe will start at hooker for the Welsh club, while back-row bruiser Taylor has been named among the replacements for the round 13 Vodacom URC clash in Llanelli.
Joining from the Cheetahs in July 2024, Van der Merwe has impressed with his ball-carrying and was included in a Springbok alignment camp for the first time last year. He has been invited by Rassie Erasmus for a virtual camp later this month.
TEAM: Stormers switch playmakers for Scarlets duel
The 28-year-old rake will pack down in a front row between props Alec Hepburn and Sam Wainwright. Taylor, a powerful loose forward who starred for WP in the 2023 Currie Cup, provides impact off the bench.
Blindside flank Josh Macleod returns to lead Scarlets, while Wales internationals Ellis Mee, Eddie James, Taine Plumtree, Kemsley Mathias and Henry Thomas are recalled.
“Our form here in Llanelli has been excellent this season with the supporters really getting behind the boys,” Peel told the club’s website.
“We are going to need that again against a Stormers side who have come here with pretty much a full crew with a couple of Springboks back from injury.”
Photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images
