Armed with the lessons from previous knockout defeats, Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has vowed to pick the best team for Saturday's Super Rugby play-off against the Brumbies.

Regular captain and No8 Duane Vermeulen seems set for a starting role, with Coetzee saying he will go for a second and third opinion on his neck injury.

"We will be selecting our best possible side, not a hooker playing at eight, which was the case the last time we played in a knockout game. We now have a Nizaam Carr who is an eight and we can select him in that position. We will have Eben Etzebeth and Manuel Carizza ready and we will have our first-choice front row ready," Coetzee said.

"In the last couple of years we have started off with a bang but by the business end of the tournament, we would be hit by injuries, we would not be able to rotate players. But this year we have been able to rotate them. Now I can get to the play-offs and still select the best possible side.

"Duane saw the neurosurgeon the first time and we got his opinion, which was quite a positive one but it's always better to get a second and a third one."

Despite Saturday's 34-12 defeat to the Sharks at Kings Park, Coetzee was happy with how his young charges fronted up to the emotionally fired up unit, which was bidding farewell to three stalwarts.

He felt vindicated in his decision to rest his starting players. "Resting the players was massively important and it was not something I was trying to be clever with."

The Brumbies, meanwhile, lost 37-24 to the Crusaders.

"Despite the result the Brumbies are a very good team and we will need to prepare well for them," Coetzee said. "We need to make sure that the defence of the driving maul is up to scratch because that is a department they are really sharp in."