NEW BEGINNINGS : Haashim Pead tug-of-war puts club rugby’s biggest challenge into perspective

Haashim Pead’s move from the Lions to the Stormers has been a big talking point over the past few weeks, given the unusual circumstances of the transfer and that the former Junior Springbok scrumhalf will remain a “third-choice” option at his new club.

According to media reports, Pead contributed to the transfer fee himself, and the Lions confirmed his departure only on ­Monday, 21 September, four days before the start of the 2026/27 United Rugby Championship (URC).

Much has been made about the former Bishops and Western Province player returning to his roots, but Pead may view the move as an opportunity to accelerate his development. The Stormers, in turn, should treat the acquisition as both a short- and long-term investment.

Battling for game time

After winning the 2025 World Rugby Junior World Championship with South Africa, Pead made his professional debut with the Lions. Around the same time, he was invited to train with the senior Springbok side ­during the Rugby Championship and was backed to start for South Africa “A” when they played Zimbabwe in June.

Rassie Erasmus and company clearly believe that Pead, who broke France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont’s record for the most running metres at the Junior World Championship, is a player for the future. Whether he is on track to realise his potential is another story, and doubts about his readiness may stem from a dearth of game time at club level.

The Lions have favoured Springbok Morné van der Berg and Nico Steyn as their frontline scrumhalves in recent years. The latter racked up 25 appearances and more than 1,300 minutes in the Currie Cup, URC and Challenge Cup last season.

Pead played 18 games and fewer than 400 minutes during the same period – significantly less than the other leading scrumhalves in the squad – and was used for more than 20 minutes in just five games.

Since starting for SA “A” against Zimbabwe, Pead has represented the Lions against the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series and played one Currie Cup match.

Bulls coaches Jake White and Johan Ackermann have tried to share the load among the squad, and although the policy has yet to net the franchise a major title, they have progressed to four URC finals in five years.

Meanwhile, the team with the most contracted Boks has fared the worst of the “big three” since the South African teams pivoted to Europe in 2021. 

The Sharks finished the 2025-26 season outside the URC’s top eight and have work to do if they are to qualify for the Champions Cup in the coming season. Over the past few months, new coach JP Pietersen has made a concerted effort to build a squad that can perform while the leading players are away on national duty.

The attritional nature of the modern game and the extraordinary length of the season have increased the need for world-class alternatives and, in some cases, there is little to separate the first-, second- and third-string players. 

Take the Sharks’ tighthead props Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch and Trevor Nyakane, for example, or the Stormers’ front-row options of Wilco Louw, Frans Malherbe (when fit), Neethling Fouché and Zachary Porthen. The Sharks and the Stormers are well covered in these positions ahead of the coming campaign, irrespective of whether they sustain serious injuries or lose players to Bok call-ups and rest protocols.

The Stormers’ depth will be tested over the next two weeks when they tour Connacht and Edinburgh without their Boks, who are in Australia for a once-off Test against the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday, 27 September.

The Cape side recently lost Dewaldt Duvenage to retirement and Imad Khan to a long-term knee injury, and with their scrumhalf stocks depleted, one can understand why they pushed so hard for Pead’s signature.

First-choice scrumhalf Cobus Reinach (36) will need to be managed in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup, and there’s a good chance that Pead will finish the season with a lot more game time than before. Given the late transfer and the fact that the Stormers are already on tour, Pead will only be available for the first home game against the Sharks in Cape Town on 10 October.

How the SA teams measure up

The Stormers made several high-profile signings in the lead-up to the new season, with Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe and Louw bolstering their ranks.

Some have suggested that Siya Kolisi’s return to the Stormers will rob a rising star like Paul de Villiers of game time and compromise his development – and it’s worth noting that the Stormers have another World Cup-winning flank in Deon Fourie, who made his international comeback in the recent Test series against the All Blacks.

In reality, the Stormers will need all three to survive the trials and tribulations of the two competitions. Ageing players such as Kolisi (35) and Fourie (40) will need to be managed, and De Villiers may end up playing more than his older teammates.

The Bulls have lost several big names in Ruan Nortjé, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Louw,  and opted to replace those stalwarts with younger or less established players. Nevertheless, they still boast 16 squad members with Test experience. The Bulls face Zebre in Parma on Saturday.

The Sharks have 19 capped internationals on their books, but some of those players are on the fringe of Test selection. Others are no longer in the frame. They may be available for the bulk of the club season, which is good news for Pietersen and company as they search for consistent results. The Sharks’ campaign starts with a home fixture against the Ospreys on Saturday.

Scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl and lock Stephan Lewies have returned to South Africa after lengthy stints in Europe, and the Sharks have a clutch of Junior Springbok stars such as flyhalf Vusi Moyo, utility back Zekhethelo Siyaya and hooker Esethu Mnebelele at their disposal.

Additional challenge

After qualifying for the URC playoffs for the first time last season, the Lions will face the additional challenge of competing in it as well as the Champions Cup.

Their loose forward stocks are looking particularly healthy: Siba Mahashe, JC Pretorius and Renzo du Plessis will contest for the No 6 position, and blindside flankers such as Siba Qoma, Batho Hlekani and Ruan Venter (once he returns from a serious injury in the new year), should offer powerful ball-carrying options.

Boeta Chamberlain has returned from Newcastle to provide another option at flyhalf and fullback, but overall, it is a young squad. 

The good news is that Junior Boks such as centre Ethan Adams, utility back Alzeadon Felix and the versatile Luke Cannon should be exposed to top-flight rugby in the coming months.

Loosehead prop Boan Venter is a terrific signing, but the Lions may feel the loss of tighthead Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who will miss the entire season due to a doping ban.  Other front-rankers may have to carry a heavier workload as a result.

They might be exposed if they sustain one or two serious injuries at the start of the season and are forced to head into Champions Cup fixtures with green players who have no experience of professional rugby outside the Currie Cup.

The Lions will face defending URC champions Leinster in Johannesburg on Saturday, and should be desperate to claim a statement win that will set them on the high road ahead of fixtures against the Ospreys and Bulls (both in South Africa) and a three-match tour to the northern hemisphere. DM

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