Stormers set to defend URC title in Stellenbosch and Gqeberha

The Stormers will play some home games in Stellenbosch and Gqeberha during their United Rugby Championship title defence this season.

The South African franchise confirmed the news on Wednesday with the following statement:

'Due to clashes with some pre-booked events at DHL Stadium, the Stormers will play 3 home games at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch and 1 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.

While every effort was made to avoid these clashes, the events at DHL Stadium had been booked up to a year in advance, while the United Rugby Championship fixtures could only be confirmed recently.

The first two home games of the new season, against Connacht and Edinburgh on September 24 and October 1, will be played in Stellenbosch due to the Justin Bieber concert which will be held at DHL Stadium on September 28, which will require significant construction in the stadium.

The Round Nine clash with Dragons RFC on the 3rd of December will be played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium due to preparations for the HSBC Cape Town Sevens, which takes place at DHL Stadium the following weekend.

The Stormers will also end the regular season against Benetton at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on 21 April 2023, with the Monster Jam monster truck show taking place at DHL Stadium.

There will of course be at least two Heineken Champions Cup matches at DHL Stadium, with London Irish visiting in December and Clermont Auvergne set to play there in January.

There will be plenty of action to look forward to at DHL Stadium this season, with the Christmas and New Year's themed derbies against the Vodacom Bulls and Emirates Lions sure to provide unique experiences for the Faithful.

All of Western Province's 2023 Carling Currie Cup home matches will take place at DHL Stadium.'