Hacjivah Dayimani is available for Saturday's URC home fixture against Scarlets at DHL Stadium after missing the Champions Cup opener against Bristol Bears with a concussion, assistant coach Dawie Snyman has confirmed.
Dayimani's return complicates selection at the back of the scrum, with Evan Roos also back fit and having started at No 8 against Bristol. With Ulster — the tougher of the two home games before the international break — to follow the following week, the Stormers are expected to rotate their squad across the two fixtures.
Kolisi has played three successive games since returning to Stormers colours, making the Scarlets match a likely opportunity to give him a rest, with Dayimani a natural fit at blindside flank. The national squad is expected to travel to Europe around the time of the Ulster game to prepare for the away leg of the Nations Championship against Italy, which could further reduce Springbok availability for that fixture.
Ruhan Nel remains a doubt with a calf complaint that kept him out of the Bristol game, though Snyman indicated the approach is precautionary. He also confirmed the injury is not to the same calf that forced Nel off during the Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks in August.
"Hacjivah had his concussion but he should be available this week. We're actually in a good position in terms of players available," said Snyman.
The Stormers could also use the Scarlets match to give game time to alternative flyhalves Yaqeen Ahmed or Jurie Matthee, though Snyman stressed that cohesion around a stable core would guide selection decisions.
The Stormers arrive off the back of contrasting back-to-back performances — a forward-dominated win over the Sharks in the URC coastal derby, followed by an offload-heavy display against Bristol that yielded 18 offloads, joint highest alongside Connacht in the Champions Cup opening round.
"The way we won against Bristol was almost completely different to the way we played against the Sharks, although there were moments that looked the same. We are trying to develop all aspects of our game," Snyman said.
A win over Scarlets, who have never beaten the Stormers on Western Cape soil, would keep the hosts among the URC front runners heading into the international break, with their only blemish so far an away defeat to Edinburgh.