Young Stormers prop Zachary Porthen could be in for the biggest scrummaging test of his burgeoning career on Saturday in Parma.
The 21-year-old may come up against seasoned Italian internationals should he be promoted to the starting lineup for the United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against Zebre at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi.
With three of their first-choice tightheads sidelined through injury, Porthen is set to play a vital role in the team’s second tour match. The Stormers began their campaign strongly with a 34-0 victory over the Scarlets last weekend.
However, tighthead Sazi Sandi was a casualty from that game, limping off due to a foot injury. The Stormers have since confirmed that scans showed no serious damage, though it is unlikely he will be pushed to feature on Saturday evening (kick-off 8.45pm).
That leaves Porthen and Hencus van Wyk as the available tightheads, while a few looseheads could provide cover as swing options.
But as part of their build-up towards ‘Project 2029’, Porthen looks set to shoulder the responsibility. The Stormers will hope to generate the same go-forward ball from their scrum, where Sandi played a crucial role in that area against the Scarlets.
Their dominant scrum and powerful rolling maul laid the platform for five tries from both forwards and backs in that match.
The DHL Stormers is the only 🇿🇦 team left undefeated.@Vodacom #URC | #EXTRAAYourSummer | #ExtraordinaryLeague pic.twitter.com/OcoO989dVQ
— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) October 14, 2025
Assistant coach Dawie Snyman said the team still has plenty in reserve after not yet hitting their full stride.
“We still have a lot to show in our game that we haven’t,” Snyman said this week.
“However, that is because of how some matches turned out for us. Sometimes, games have a life of their own — you have a perception of how you want to go into it. But then you get rewarded in another place and you go for that.
“We are capable of more.”
With Springboks Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu now settled, the Stormers will look for more from their two playmakers. Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored a try last week but also received a yellow card for ill-discipline, while showing flashes of his class with a few deft touches.
Our openside Paul de Villiers has been on 🔥 #inittogether pic.twitter.com/xzCr5iW7W7
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) October 14, 2025
Willemse was rock-solid at fullback and will aim to step up his influence further.
The Stormers will be confident of maintaining their unbeaten record against Zebre, traditionally one of the weaker URC sides — a result that would give them momentum heading into next weekend’s tour finale against the high-flying Benetton in Treviso.
“In Europe, you must adapt your playing style,” Snyman added.
“But we won’t move away from our strengths. We know what our players can do in space, and we’ll try to create that for them.”
