The Stormers are losing at least five players permanently, and one possibly on sabbatical, after their URC season came to an end over the past weekend.
The Stormers said goodbye to a number of players on a low note when they were dumped out of the United Rugby Championship (URC) at the quarterfinal stage by Glasgow Warriors over the past weekend.
At least five players have played their last game for the Cape side to take up opportunities in the UK and Europe, unless some return later in their careers.
Scrumhalves Herschel Jantjies and Paul de Wet are heading to Bayonne in France and the Bulls respectively, while hooker Joseph Dweba departs for English Premiership side Exeter Chiefs.
English wing Ben Loader is heading back home to try reignite his international aspirations with Gloucester, and former Zimbabwe international and Exeter Chiefs legend Dave Ewers has decided to hang up his boots, after spending his final season playing a mentorship and back up role at the union.
Arguably the biggest loss, possibly on a short term sabbatical to Japan, will be Springbok flyhalf Manie Libbok, with Director of Rugby John Dobson confirming after the Glasgow loss that he was on his way out with the others, but with no confirmation on what sort of deal.
Fade into the night
“Paul de Wet was (with us from) URC one, and didn’t get on the field. Obviously Joe (Dweba), Manie and Hersch are big players for us that we wanted to fade out into the night. Dave Ewers also didn’t get on the field,” said Dobson, on Friday night, about the players leaving.
“We’ll go have a chat now when we get back to the hotel because that changing room is so sad now. It’s like an American Civil War tent. The guys are really, really distraught and it’s not the way I want to say goodbye to these guys who, as I say, have put a lot in.
“We really, honestly, in our heart of hearts believed we’d be playing next week. All those names, Ben Loader too, have been really good Stormers, so (it is) not how we wanted to say goodbye to them like this.”
Another big blow to the Stormers was the unexpected forced retirement of club legend Steven Kitshoff earlier this year, after he was unable to fully recover from a serious neck injury.
But it is not all doom and gloom for the union, however, as they have a couple of big names set to join them in the off season, while a number of other deals are expected to be made as well.
The biggest arrivals are Springbok double World Cup winning scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, who started his career in Durban with the Sharks and will likely finish up his career at the Stormers, and Sharks prop Ntuthuko Mchunu, who is moving down the coast.
