Siya Kolisi has wasted no time in joining up with his new Stormers teammates after wrapping up his Springbok duties.
Despite the fact that the Stormers have started the URC with a two-match overseas tour, Kolisi opted against any additional rest, and instead heads straight into the starting line-up for Friday’s clash against Edinburgh on Friday night.
Speaking about the immediate impact of Kolisi, Stormers boss John Dobson said it went far beyond just his on-field role.
“He’s not an out-and-out stealer; he gets turnovers through his tackling and counter-rucking. In terms of leadership, he’s got a big role to play, probably around the integration of the Springboks and setting standards. I could see him in the warm-up last week … His presence, just the smile and the songs and everything, it lifts the team.
“But there’s no question that the rugby contribution is what we’re after and what we need tomorrow.
“What I can’t get over with Siya, and it’s going to sound like a silly point, is the size of him. He’s an openside flank, maybe not the world’s most traditional openside flank, but he’s a big beast.
“He’s certainly a bigger man than he was when he left here. He’s a really big presence, and I think that’s going to be useful on the 4G.”
SIYA KOLISI IS READY FOR HIS STORMERS COMEBACK
Edinburgh: 15 Piers O’Conor, 14 Malelili Satala, 13 Matt Currie (co-captain), 12 Kienan Higgins, 11 Geordie Gwynn, 10 James Grayson, 9 Hector Patterson, 8 Magnus Bradbury (co-captain), 7 Freddy Douglas, 6 Liam McConnell, 5 Glen Young, 4 Callum Hunter-Hill, 3 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 2 Harri Morris, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Euan McVie, 20 Tom Currie, 21 Conor McAlpine, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Rory McHaffie
Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Yaqeen Ahmed, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Louw Nel, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Riley Norton, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Adré Smith, 21 Wandile Mlaba, 22 Andre Warner, 23 Wandisile Simelane.
Edinburgh v Stormers
Date: Friday, 2 October 2026
Venue: Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
SA Time: 20:45
Referee: Eoghan Cross
TV: SuperSport
Key goals in mind
Dobson added that the focus is on ending the tour with a win before returning home to Cape Town for four consecutive home games.
“Last week’s performance against Connacht was encouraging in many ways, but we would like to see a more ruthless edge to our game, which we have worked on this week.
“We know that Edinburgh is a tough place to play and we have some experience coming in, with Siya, Ntuthuko (Mchunu) and Stefan (Ungerer) included along with Yaqeen Ahmed and Wandile Mlabaa, who are both really exciting young players.
“It will take a big effort from all 23 players to get the result before we go back to Cape Town for what will be a crucial period in the context of our season,” he said.
