Stormers confirm signing of former World Junior Player of the Year with ‘incredibly high ceiling’
Lions' scrum-half Haashim Pead and an inset of Stormers boss John Dobson.
The Stormers have confirmed that 2025 World Rugby Junior World Championship Player of the tournament Haashim Pead has joined them on a four-year contract.
The 21-year-old scrum-half joins the Stormers from the Lions and has already started training with his new club’s non-travelling squad in Cape Town this week.
The Stormers‘ senior squad are currently in Galway, where they will get their 2026/27 United Rugby Championship campaign underway against Connacht on Friday night.
Despite gaining prominence at the Lions, Pead is no stranger to Cape Town as he hails from the Bo-Kaap suburb in the city and built his name as a schoolboy at Diocesan College (Bishops).
Shone at the 2025 World Rugby Junior World Championship
In 2025, he capped a breakout year by shining for the Junior Springboks side – led by his new club teammate Riley Norton – as they beat New Zealand in the final of the World Rugby Junior World Championship to win the global showpiece for international U20 teams in Italy for the first time since 2012.
Pead now returns to where it all started to form part of the Stormers’ long-term vision of Project 2029.
He will be available to make his Stormers debut once the team is back from its two-match tour to Ireland and Scotland, with four consecutive home games at DHL Stadium in October giving fans their first chance to see him in his new club’s colours.
The highly rated number nine has already attended a Springboks senior alignment camp and featured for South Africa A against Zimbabwe earlier this season. His crisp service, instinctive eye for a gap, searing pace and strength make him one of the most exciting young prospects in South African rugby.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson believes Pead’s profile was the perfect fit for his squad.
“Haashim is a rising star, and as a local lad who fits our game model perfectly, it made sense on every level for us to bring him back to Cape Town,” he said.
‘A gifted athlete who has an incredibly high ceiling’
“He is a gifted athlete who has an incredibly high ceiling, and we look forward to seeing how he develops here with us.
“This is a four-year deal, so there is a big commitment from both ourselves and Haashim to Project 2029 and our goals as a club.”
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Pead is determined to make a positive impact in his new surroundings.
“Cape Town is my home, and I could not be more excited to join the DHL Stormers. I can’t wait to get stuck in,” he said.
“I have joined a very strong squad at a club with big ambitions, so there is a lot of hard work ahead of me, and I just want to take every opportunity that comes my way here,” he said.
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