Highlanders coach Greg Cooper has bracketed Nick Evans with Cameron McIntyre at first five-eighth for Saturday's Super 12 rugby match against the Stormers in Invercargill
Evans is recovering from an injured ankle but Cooper is hoping he will be fit for Saturday and may not decide on the run-on playmaker until match day.
McIntyre was sound against Blues in the opening round last weekend but Evans has more experience.
As expected hooker and captain Anton Oliver, who played his 100th Super 12 match last week, is out of Saturday's game with bruised ribs. Mahonri Schwalger will be at hooker. Southland's Dermody will replace prop Carl Hoeft, who is away to play in the tsunami charity match for the Northern Hemishphere.
Blindside flanker Craig Newby will lead the Highlanders in Oliver's absence.
Meanwhile Springboks centre Marius Joubert has paid for his poor performance against the Sharks last week by being dropped from the Stormers team.
Joubert missed a couple of crucial tackles and was blamed for other defensive errors despite the team's win.
Joubert has been replaced by Jean de Villiers, who moves in from the wing in one of seven changes to last week's team. Tonderai Chavangha will play left wing.
There were some changes anticipated, but not as many as seven.
Neither coach Gert Smal nor the players were happy with last week's performance.
The most surprising changes come in the second row, where young Andries Bekker will make his Super 12 debut alongside Rob Linde. International Quinton Davids has been dropped to the bench, along with Eddie Andrews. JD Moller, another youngster, comes in for Andrews.
Hanyani Shimange, the subject of some controversy in Cape Town when he was left out last week, comes in at hooker for Pieter Dixon, whose line-out throwing against the Sharks won him much praise.
Gerrie Britz moves to flanker in place of Schalk Burger, who is involved in the tsunami match.
Stormers: Werner Greeff, Breyton Paulse, Jean de Villiers, De Wet Barry, Tonderai Chavhanga, Gaffie du Toit, Neil de Kock (captain), Joe van Niekerk, Gerrie Britz, Luke Watson, Andries Bekker, Rob Linde, Faan Rautenbach, Hanyani Shimange, JD Moller. Reserves: Pieter Dixon, Eddie Andrews, Quinton Davids, Adri Badenhorst, Bolla Conradie, Chris Rossouw, Marius Joubert.
Highlanders: Ben Blair, Hayden Pedersen, Anthony Tuitavake, Seilala Mapusua, Matt Saunders, Cameron McIntyre or Nick Evans, Jimmy Cowan, Paul Miller, Josh Blackie, Craig Newby (captain), James Ryan, Filipo Levi, Carl Hayman, Mahonri Schwalger, Clarke Dermody.
Reserves: David Hall, Chris King, Hoani MacDonald, Colin Bourke, Danny Lee, Nick Evans or Cameron McIntyre, Neil Brew.
Cooper brackets five-eighths duo
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