Stormers and WP secure the services of eight Springboks

Western Province Rugby and the Stormers have secured eight of their Springboks with a round of contract renewals that grounds the franchise for the 2020 season.

All the other Super Rugby franchises have suffered significant losses in terms of players with international experience leaving to play abroad.

Kolisi among the Springboks committed to the Stormers

Eight players who turned out in the green and gold last season have recommitted to playing their rugby in Cape Town next season. Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi and World Rugby player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit headline the contract renewals that also saw Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi, Scarra Ntubeni, Frans Malherbe, Damian Willemse and Dillyn Leyds agree to stay on until 2021.

Few 2020 Super Rugby squads will boast the level of continuity that the Stormers will enjoy. The Franchise have lost Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth to Toulon but Chris van Zyl and JD Schickerling have re-signed along with former junior Springbok skipper Salmaan Moerat.

John Dobson takes over as Super Rugby coach in Cape Town and is looking forward to building a competitive squad around the strong Springbok core.

“Players like Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi, Scarra Ntubeni, Dillyn Leyds, Damian Willemse and Frans Malherbe are part of the fabric of Stormers rugby, so it is fantastic to know that they will all be around to add value to our team environment in the next two years,” Dobson told the Stormers’ official website.

“We know what these players offer on and off the field, the challenge now is to get the most out of their considerable talents.”

Kolisi also hopes to build something special with the Stormers who shape up as the strongest of the SA franchises, at least on paper.

“I have been playing with some of these guys my whole career and we are all looking forward to reaching new heights in a Stormers jersey. We have a strong group of senior players and talented youngsters coming through all the time, which is what we need to reach our goal of rewarding the Faithful for their incredible support.

“I know it has been a tough few years for us and our faithful, we really appreciate them for sticking with us and hopefully we will have plenty to celebrate in the future,” he said.

A bright future

Western Province Rugby Group CEO Paul Zacks said that the future looks bright for the Stormers.

“While the introduction of the new contracting model, salary caps and the number of senior players that we can contract has made it a challenging process, I am most pleased to confirm that we have managed to retain the majority of our senior players for 2020 and beyond.

“It is encouraging to see how many top players have bought into our vision for the future and we look forward to seeing them help develop some of the outstanding young talent we have coming through the ranks in the years to come,” he said.