Dobson excited as record-breaking teenager Muller poised for Stormers debut

At just 18 years, 9 months and 19 days old, Muller will surpass Damian Willemse's record to become the youngest player ever to debut for the Stormers, and only the second to represent the franchise before his 19th birthday.

The centre has rapidly risen through the South African rugby ranks, impressing for Paarl Gimnasium before being integrated into the Stormers' senior training environment shortly after finishing school.

He has already represented Western Province at U19 level, played for SA Schools, and earned selection for the Junior Springboks ahead of the U20 Rugby Championship. Earlier this year, he was also invited to a Springbok alignment camp, underlining his rapid rise.

Despite his age, Dobson believes the timing is right for Muller to step into United Rugby Championship action before linking up with Kevin Foote's Junior Springbok squad.

"We wanted to play Markus this season; we wanted to play him against the Dragons, but we didn't see him because he was at the SA U20 camp," the Stormers boss told reporters after naming his matchday 23 to face Glasgow.

"Look, he is a great player. It's important to show that at the Stormers, if you come through, we will give you an opportunity."

While injuries have helped open the door for Muller's inclusion, Dobson has been careful not to place excessive pressure on the youngster, opting for a 5-3 bench split to better manage his introduction.

"Johnny Roche has just come back from a long injury, and he could do 40 plus a few last week – he'll be back in the mix shortly. Josh Boulle is also just back from a very, very long injury," he continued.

"Markus is fit, and I just think it's the right thing to do. We have gone for a 5-3 split so we can protect him to a certain degree. Look, he's a very, very special player, and we really want him to have one exposure.

"We could have been conservative and say it's a top-of-the-table clash, the next game, unfortunately, Ulster will be a must-win, whatever happens tomorrow, and then the game after that will be a must-win, whatever happens. Then we get through the whole season, and Markus hasn't had any experience, so it's just about that, trying to get him some experience.

"With the 5-3 split, we can control it. Another reason why [this week] is we have Ruhan and Dan there, so touchwood, but if something goes wrong during the game to one of them, at least the other one is there to help him. It felt like the right thing to do for the union; he's an exceptional rugby player."

Dobson added that the plan is to ease Muller into the contest late on, ideally giving him 10 to 15 minutes of URC action rather than throwing him into the deep end early.

"There are various options. Our plan for Markus tomorrow would be just to give him some experience, so he's probably not the first guy on," he added.

"Let's say that Damian goes down early, Juree goes on, and Sacha to 15, no problem whatsoever. Dan goes down early, Sacha to 12, but I want him to have 10 or 15 minutes at a high level, so that he is a Stormer.

"I don't want him to go off to the U20 championships when we're going into the Currie Cup, and he hasn't had this experience."