Stormers coach Robbie Fleck has welcomed the return of some key players who have completed duties with the Blitzboks and their Japanese clubs.

Schalk Burger and Eben Etzebeth joined up with the team last week after returning from stints in Japan, and they were joined by Damian de Allende, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury.

Juan de Jongh and Cheslin Kolbe were also back at training this week after completing their duties for the Springbok Sevens in the World Rugby Sevens Series.

Fleck said that having players of their calibre back in the fold is a significant boost as they continue to build towards the new Super Rugby season, which kicks off with a clash against the Bulls at Newlands on 27 February.

'It is fantastic to have world-class players such as these back in the mix, as they give the rest of the squad a real lift. The rest of the players have put in an incredible amount of work in the off-season, and now the focus is on getting the returning players up to speed on our plans as soon as possible.'

The first task at hand will be the pre-season friendly against the Jaguares at Newlands on Saturday, and Fleck said that his squad will have to make the most of every minute against the Argentinian side to ensure that they are able to hit the ground running.

'The Jaguares will be a seriously tough side that will test us in a number of important areas. We got some good game time under our belts in the friendly against the SWD Eagles in George, and we want to use this match against the Jaguares to ensure that all of the players are ready to go ahead our first Super Rugby match against the Bulls.'

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