The identity grey area that has long pertained to having the Stormers representing the region first in Super Rugby and now in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, while Western Province carried the flag in the Carling Currie Cup, is finally over.
Stormers Rugby, as the company became known in 2024, announced on Friday afternoon that all the professional teams under it’s aegis will henceforth be aligned under one brand, with the team that will play in the forthcoming new SA Rugby Under-23 Cup to be known as the DHL Stormers XXIII, while the team that will play in the SA Rugby under-20 up will be known as the DHL Stormers Bolts.
The Stormers XXIII will also compete in the Currie Cup, so ending the long association of the WP name with that competition, although the reality is that the premier team representing the Western Cape region has been the Stormers since 1998, when the Stormers came into being. WP did not play in the 1997 edition of the Super 12 as participation in the southern hemisphere international competition was merit-based in those early years of professionalism, and Province did not make the top four in the Currie Cup in the first year of professional rugby (1996).
PREMIER CAPE TEAM KICKED OFF AS STORMERS IN 1999 MEN IN BLACK YEAR
The Stormers morphed into just being the Stormers in 1999, which was the famous ‘Men in Black’ year where the team, captained by Bobby Skinstad and coached by Alan Solomons, led the Super 12 for much of the campaign but lost a home semifinal to the Highlanders at Newlands.
The WP team continued to campaign under that name, with the Stormers being a regional team, with Boland and South Western Districts joining WP in making up the Stormers entity in Super Rugby, in the Currie Cup. It was Gert Smal, and not Solomons, who coached WP to the Currie Cup title in 2000 and again in 2001, with both final wins coming against the Sharks.
Until the current URC season, the jerseys were very different, with WP continuing with their traditional blue and white hooped jerseys, but the new jersey that was unveiled in September has a much closer resemblance to the “Streeptruie” jersey and was a forerunner of the naming change that was announced by a press release on Friday afternoon.
THE NATURAL NEXT STEP IN EVOLUTION OF THE BRAND
“Following the change of the company name to Stormers Rugby in 2024 and the bold rebranding in 2025, the next step in the evolution of the brand will see all professional teams come under the same banner – in line with international best practice for sporting entities,” said the statement.
“All amateur rugby teams under the Western Province Rugby Football Union will continue to play under the Western Province brand and provide a pipeline of world-class talent which is unrivalled…
“The Stormers Rugby brand will continue to be closely aligned to the heritage and history of Western Province teams, as signalled by the new-look home kit that was introduced following the rebrand at the start of the season, which features the iconic blue and white hoops, black shorts, black socks and a disa on the back of the jersey.
“The Stormers Rugby teams will retain their connection to the rich history of rugby in the Western Cape while also being clearly united, with the DHL Stormers Bolts and DHL Stormers XXIII providing a clear path to the DHL Stormers squad for all players coming through the professional system.”
AN IMPORTANT STEP, SAYS LE ROUX
Stormers Rugby CEO Johan le Roux described the consolidation of the two brands is an important step forward for Cape rugby and the Stormers as a professional club.
“By bringing all our professional teams under one brand, we are now completely aligned publicly, and this change will help to bring clarity about who we are and how all our teams fit together in the minds of our fans,” said Le Roux.
“Our heritage will always be an integral part of who we are as an organisation and the WP amateur teams will continue to play an important role in nurturing talent to be brought into the Stormers Rugby system. As a business, this brings us in line with global best practice as we continue to strive to compete among the top rugby clubs in the world.
“Our slogan is that we are ‘in it together’ and with teams competing across various professional competitions, that is now absolutely clear to all,” he added.
There are also practical benefits to consolidating the brands, which enable players and management to be featured on DHL Stormers platforms, which have a broader reach, assist in promotion and marketing of all matches, reduce confusion among the fanbase, along with the financial benefit of managing kit and other associated expenses of running two brands.
With the South African professional rugby calendar running year-round, it is important that players are able to move easily between various teams under the same brand.
The DHL Stormers XXIII to feature in the Carling Currie Cup will use largely the same playing squad as in the upcoming SA Rugby Under-23 Cup. In this way, the domestic senior provincial tournament will continue to be used to give players valuable experience and exposure as they seek to compete for places in the Stormers squad for the Vodacom URC and Investec Champions Cup competitions.
SHIMANGE TO OVERSEE THE PATHWAY PROGRAMME
Hanyani Shimange has been appointed to oversee the transition of players through the pathway programme to the XXIII set-up and into the senior DHL Stormers squad. He will head up the campaign for the inaugural national Under-23 tournament and work with DHL Stormers XXIII head coach Labeeb Levy, forwards coach Helmut Lehmann, attack coach Dewaldt Duvenage and defence coach Craig Childs.
Brok Harris will serve as scrum coach, with Migael Wahl in charge of strength and conditioning, and Uzair Saban the analyst, while Bradley Hollenbach will be the team manager.
Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson said that with the Stormers positioned at the pinnacle, the pathway for all professional players is now crystal clear.
“We will always be rooted in the rich history of Western Province rugby and continue to draw on the hotbed of talent we have that will come through the amateur teams,” said Dobson.
“Who we play for, how we play our rugby, and why it means so much to represent this region will never be in doubt. We are taking a step into the future while remaining true to all those who contributed to getting us here. We know that our fans will get right behind every team that plays in our colours, as they always have.”
WPRFU president Kevin Kiewitz said that the amateur and professional game will continue to support one another, with the relationship between the two as strong as it has ever been.
“Amateur and professional rugby have always fed off each other, and we hope to see both go from strength to strength in the Western Cape. Our Western Province teams will continue to represent excellence and provide a crucial pipeline of talent for the Stormers Rugby teams,” he said.