Junior Springboks sensation Haashim Pead's new club revealed

Junior World Championship 2026 Player of the Year, Haashim Pead has left one South African team for another on the eve of the new United Rugby Championship season.

Scrum-half Pead, who lit up the tournament in Georgia, scoring six tries in the Junior Springboks’ title-winning campaign, made the decision to leave the Johannesburg-based Lions and continue his rugby journey in the Western Cape with the Stormers.

During his time in Johannesburg, he established himself as a standout talent, earning his senior domestic debut in the Currie Cup against the Vodacom Bulls followed by an international debut against the Newcastle Red Bulls in 2025.

But he found his opportunities limited, stuck behind Springbok Morne van den Berg and the experienced Nico Steyn.

Named Junior Player of the Year in 2025, Pead earned a call-up to Rassie Erasmus’s Springbok alignment camp for the 2025/26 season. “It opened my eyes that the Springbok dream is not as far away as you think,” he said in an interview with RugbyPass wordsmith, Jamie Lyall, in May.

The Stormers have moved for Pead as cover for Cobus Reinach, after losing Imad Khan for most of the season due to an ACL injury.

Speaking about his departure, Lions Rugby Company CEO Rudolf Straeuli said: “Haashim has been a dedicated and exceptional talent since beginning his professional career with us in 2024. While we are sad to see him depart Johannesburg, we respect his decision to take on a new challenge with the DHL Stormers. We thank him for his service to the Lions and wish him success in the next chapter of his career.”

The Stormers begin their URC campaign away to Connacht this Friday, while the Lions host defending champions Leinster the following day.