Peter Grant will start at flyhalf for the Stormers against the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday. 

Grant, who replaces Demetri Catrakilis, will make his first start of 2014, while Gio Aplon shifts from wing to fullback and Sailosi Tagicakibau gets the No 11 jersey. Fit-again centre Juan de Jongh – who flew over to Sydney this week – will sit on the bench.

Up front, fit-again tighthead prop Frans Malherbe takes over from Brok Harris at tighthead prop – with the latter reverting to the bench – and Michael Rhodes is back in the mix as the lock replacement for De Kock Steenkamp, who flew home with a groin injury earlier this week.

'The Brumbies are a very physical team, using direct runners off nine, so we have to front up and put our bodies on the line,' said coach Allister Coetzee. 'They're also a good kicking team. They use Jesse Mogg's left foot and Nic White's big right boot and then Matt Toomua has a massive kicking game too.'

Stormers – 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Jean de Villiers (c), 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Michael Rhodes, 4 Ruan Botha, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Stephan Coetzee, 17 Oliver Kebble, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Siya Kolisi, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Demetri Catrakilis, 23 Juan de Jongh.

Photo: Marty Melville/AFP Photo