Bulls suffer hammer blow as Springboks sensation set to make stunning move to South African rivals
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson (inset) and Bulls and Springboks prop Wilco Louw.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson has confirmed that Bulls and Springboks tighthead prop Wilco Louw is set to return to the Cape Town-based outfit.
Earlier this week, the Afrikaans publication Rapport revealed that the Stormers are eager for Louw to rejoin them when his current deal with the men from Pretoria expires.
Set to return to Stormers when Bulls deal expires
Louw is currently contracted to the Bulls until the end of the 2025/26 season but Dobson revealed that he met with the 31-year-old in Gqberha and the player is set to return to the Stormers once he completes his stint with the Bulls.
“Hy’s ‘n Kaapse kind (He’s a kid from the Cape),” Dobson told The Lekker Rugby Pod. “We’re certainly done for this season coming up – there’ll be no new players for this season.
“That’s an impossibility.
“I think the discussions are because 1 July was the start of the open season for players who come off their contracts in 2026.”
Dobson reassured Bulls supporters that the highly rated front-row will still be featuring for the Pretoria-based franchise during their 2025/26 campaigns in the United Rugby Championship and Investec Champions Cup.
‘Next year might be a different story’
“They’re safe for this season – but this time next year might be a different story,” he added.
In the Rapport article, a source close to the 18-Test Springbok revealed that a return to the Stormers would be appealing for Louw as he is farming in the Cederberg region of the Western Cape and his family still reside and farm in the region as well.
“Nothing is finalised yet,” said the source. “He’s a family man, but if he returns to the Cape, it’ll be for rugby reasons.”
A former South African Schools and U20 representative, Louw started his senior career at Western Province and the Stormers in 2015 before joining Premiership outfit Harlequins where he made 66 appearances between 2020 and 2023.
He returned to South Africa in 2023 when he joined the Bulls and caught the eye with several sensational scrummaging performances for them in the URC and Champions Cup which led to him being recalled to the Springboks squad and he played his first Test for the world champions when they faced England at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham during last year’s Autumn Nations Series.
Louw’s return to the Stormers would be a major boost for the men from the Cape as there are doubts around the future of double Rugby World Cup-winner Frans Malherbe, who is struggling with a back injury.
Malherbe, who is 34 years old, has been ruled out for the entire Springboks season with concerns raised about whether he will be forced into retirement.
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