'Cheslin-esque' teenager tipped for Boks is one of five Stormers deals

Junior Springboks JC Mars and Kyle Smith have signed contract extensions with the Stormers alongside three further players.

Fly-half Smith, 20 and outside back Mars, 19, have both been selected for South Africa U20 to take on Argentina in the opening round of the U20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha on Thursday.

The pair have signed new contracts alongside fellow youngsters Divan Fuller, Zach Porthen and Asad Moos.

Smith, Fuller and Porthen have already made senior appearances in the Carling Currie Cup, while Mars made a try-scoring Investec Champions Cup debut against Harlequins in December.

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Not long after that appearance at the Stoop, former South Africa assistant coach Gary Gold earmarked the teenager as a player Rassie Erasmus should think about capping in 2025.

“Another up-and-coming guy I really like is JC Mars,” Gold said on RugbyPass TV’s Boks Office.

“I think he’s got huge potential. He came on a couple of weeks ago for the Stormers, scored a fantastic try, Cheslin-esque, I just love those kinds of players. It lends to our play, setting big platforms with our big forwards and then unleashing the backs to be able to play. I really like him, I think he’s fantastic.”

After the quintet signed new deals in Cape Town, director of rugby John Dobson said: “We have seen the benefit of securing the cream of our local talent in recent years, with the likes of Damian Willemse, Salmaan Moerat and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu all coming through the ranks here before going on to represent the Springboks.

“These five players represent the next generation to take our team forward and thrill DHL Stormers fans, along with the likes of Paul de Villiers, Gino Cupido and Imad Khan who have all committed their futures as well.”

With the SA Rugby U21 Cup (which all five are eligible to play in) set to start this weekend, Dobson added:“We have one of the best schools system in the world and although it is not always possible to keep every good player from the region, we are focused on strategically bolstering our senior squad with young talent in the positions we require it.

“We have seen incredible success from the DHL Western Province U21 side over the last two years and hope to see more of the same this year, with those players graduating through the system to make themselves household names for the DHL Stormers.”