DHL Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson has confirmed that negotiations to sign rising star scrumhalf Haashim Pead from the Emirates Lions are very much alive, firmly dismissing sensationalised media reports regarding the collapse of the talks.
Addressing the intense speculation that has dominated South African rugby headlines, Dobson set the record straight on both the status of the talks and the financial figures being thrown around in public. He confirmed that the numbers reported in recent days are "absolutely ridiculous" and do not reflect the reality of the discussions.
Dobson also took the opportunity to clear up a persistent narrative regarding historical transfer records. Contrary to widespread media claims, the Stormers boss clarified that no transfer fee was paid to the Hollywoodbets Sharks to facilitate Siya Kolisi’s high-profile return to Cape Town, debunking the benchmark comparison used by pundits to gauge Pead's potential price tag.
“First, on the transfer-fee thing, the Siya thing is complete hogwash. We didn’t pay a transfer fee for Siya."
“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."
Despite the media frenzy, Dobson did confirm two crucial realities: the Stormers are actively trying to bring the playmaker home, and Pead himself has expressed a clear desire to move back to Cape Town.
The 21-year-old former Bishops student has found regular game time hard to come by in Johannesburg, sitting behind Morné van den Berg and Nico Steyn in the Lions' scrumhalf pecking order. With the Cape side facing a major depth crisis at number nine following Imad Khan’s serious knee injury, a return to the Western Cape makes perfect sense for both the player and the franchise.
“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.
“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.”
