‘Complete hogwash’ – Stormers boss rubbishes Siya Kolisi transfer figure and admits ‘smoke’ around ex-Junior Springbok superstar swoop
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi with an inset of Lions scrum-half Haashim Pead
Director of rugby John Dobson has addressed rumours that the Stormers have approached Lions scrum-half Haashim Pead and the figures reported around the move.
Pead is one of the hottest prospects in South African rugby after his sterling showings with Junior Boks in 2024 and 2025, with the now 21-year-old impressing for the Lions.
The rising star is contracted with the Lions until 2028, but it is reported that he is eager to return to Cape Town to represent the Stormers, where he is likely to get more game time.
Last season, he started just once for the Lions, with Springbok Morne van den Berg and Nico Steyn also on the Joburg club’s payroll. Cobus Reinach is the first-choice number at the Stormers but the competition for minutes is arguably less daunting following the departure of Asad Moos, the retirement of Dewaldt Duvenage and the long-term injury to Imad Khan.
John Dobson on Siya Kolisi transfer fee
According to Rapport, the Lions are unwilling to let the prospect leave the club and have been locked in talks with the Stormers about a potential release. The Joburgers were reportedly willing to let Pead go if prop Sanzi Sandi went the other way and a transfer fee was included.
Sandi is reportedly heading to the Bulls after the 2026/27 season, which made that deal impossible, with the report adding that insiders suggested that the Stormers were willing to pay a South African record fee to the Lions to buy Pead out of his contract.
Sources told the publication that the record sits at R800,000, which the Stormers paid to lure Siya Kolisi back to Cape Town from the Sharks.
Speaking to the media in the build-up to the 2026/26 United Rugby Championship season, Dobson addressed the links with Pead and rubbished the figure his union reportedly paid to get the Springboks captain back to Cape Town.
“First, on the transfer-fee thing, the Siya thing is complete hogwash,” Dobson said. “We didn’t pay a transfer fee for Siya.”
There is smoke but no full-blown fire
Turning his attention to the reports around Pead, Dobson confirmed the Stormers’ interest in the scrum-half.
“Haashim is a guy we would like at the Stormers. He would like to come to the Stormers, but he’s under contract with the Lions,” he continued.
“There are conversations happening, certainly not at the figures that have been quoted – nothing like that.
“Sometimes I think we associate it with UK football, but in terms of paying transfer fees, it’s not really a culture that exists in rugby. I think sometimes a player can look to buy out his contract, or come to an arrangement with his union.
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“Haashim’s employed by the Lions. We’re not going to the Lions and asking for Haashim Pead. We would love to have him if he were to become available, but whether he becomes available is a decision between him and the Lions.
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“I don’t want to mislead you guys. There’s some smoke, but I wouldn’t say it’s a full-blown fire, because we’ve told Haashim we’d love to have him, but we absolutely want to respect his contract and arrangement with the Lions. If the Lions decide to release him and Haashim’s got that relationship with them, then I think we’d be at the front of the queue.”
If Pead does not make the switch to the Lions, the Stormers will be relying on the services of Stefan Ungerer and rookies Ezekiel Ngobeni and Jayden Brits, who are yet to debut for the side, during the early stages of the season while Khan recovers from injury and Reinach is on Springbok duty.
The Stormers may also be able to select Andre Warner through the Cape Town-based side’s relationship with the Seattle Seawolves, while Wilco Louw, Kolisi, and Cheslin Kolbe will mark their returns to the blue and white hoops following the Boks’ international season.
