Hurricanes coach Graham Mourie has named an unchanged starting line-up from the side who defeated the Bulls 26-20 for Friday's Super 12 game against the Stormers.

The only changes to the 22-man squad are on the substitutes' bench, with a fit-again Paul Steinmetz replacing Mepi Faoagali and Rodney So'oialo coming in for Campbell Feather.

The young loose forward Brent Thompson gets his second Super 12 start as Kupu Vanisi races against time to get fit for the South African portion of the competition. They leave for South Africa on Saturday night.

Thompson got better as he went along against the Bulls in last Saturday's 26-20 win at Wellington, and, according to the Wellington Evening Post, he showed at training on Tuesday night that he could get himself into better positions.

Vanisi was starting to move more freely on his injured left knee on Tuesday, but will have to prove by Thursday that he will be right to play the first match of the Hurricanes' two-match tour of South Africa.

"It can't be any other way," said Mourie, because the 26-player limit means it's impossible to carry a player not 100 percent fit. If Vanisi gets injured again, the Hurricanes would be "in the cart".

The only other doubt about the Hurricanes is whether halfback Jason Spice will start after his Monty Pyhtonesque accident at training on Monday morning. Spice had his troublesome left ankle strapped for an initial "trot" to see how it was.

Halfway around the first lap at the Police College in Porirua he stepped on a large rock with his right foot, and twisted that ankle. But there's hope that both feet will be right in time for the game.

Hurricanes team: Christian Cullen; Brad Fleming, Tana Umaga, Jason O'Halloran, Jonah Lomu; David Holwell, Jason Spice; Filo Tiatia, Brent Thompson, Jerry Collins, Paul Tito, Dion Waller, Gordon Slater (capt), Norm Hewitt, Kevin Yates. Substitutes: Davin Heaps, Tony Coughlan, Inoke Afeaki, Rodney So'oialo, Brendan Haami, Paul Steinmetz, Daryl Lilley.