The DHL Stormers have finally put any speculation to bed by confirming that the man who was nicknamed “the new Beast” when he first started playing for the Hollywoodbets Sharks will be playing for the Cape franchise from next season.
The announcement that the 25-year-old Maritzburg College old boy, Ntuthuko Mchunu, will be moving to Cape Town came one week after Stormers and Springbok stalwart Steven Kitshoff announced that he had called time on his career due to the serious neck injury sustained in a Carling Currie Cup game in Kimberley last September.
✍️ Bok prop Ntuthuko Mchunu will join our squad from next season.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 4, 2025
💬 'This is a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the best players and coaches around and take my game to the next level'
📰 Full announcement https://t.co/naUaowfeEo #iamastormer pic.twitter.com/o1qpVz3JGA
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson hinted at Kitshoff’s exit press conference that an announcement will be imminent and it is understood that Mchunu, who made his own Bok debut alongside two future Stormers teammates in Deon Fourie and Evan Roos against Wales in Bloemfontein in 2022, put pen to paper some time ago.
The announcement would have been delayed out of respect to Kitshoff.
Given the Stormers’ attacking playing style, Mchunu is a perfect fit for Dobson’s squad.
He played his schools rugby at looseforward and only made the switch to the front row a few years ago, thus prompting the comparisons to the legendary former Sharks 2019 Rugby World Cup winner Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira, who also started out his rugby life playing in the back row rather than the front row.
Mchunu’s scrumming might still be developing but he is still young for a prop and has a huge amount of potential. He is playing behind Bok first choice Ox Nche at the Sharks so it makes sense to him to move to a region where he is likely to get more game time.
He will compete with Sti Sithole and Ali Vermaak for the Stormers No 1 jersey, although his big long term rival for the jersey might well be another former KZN schoolboy, the 22-year-old Vernon Matongo.
In this era where the South African teams are committed across two competitions, the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and the Investec Champions Cup, extensive depth in all positions is necessary.
The Sharks also have top Bok tightheads like Vincent Koch and Trevor Nyakane on their books but Mchunu should benefit from playing alongside the experienced double World Cup winner Frans Malherbe and being part of what is a strong Stormers scrumming culture.
Dobson said in a press release issued on Tuesday that Mchunu’s signing was an exciting one for several reasons.
“Ntuthuko has played rugby at the highest level at a very young age and we are looking forward to seeing him develop his game further here,” said Dobson.
“He can be devastating in loose play as a really athletic loosehead and working with the likes of Frans Malherbe and Neethling Fouche each week can only make him a better prop. At just 25 the future is bright for Ntuthuko and we are thrilled that he decided this was the best place for him to realise that considerable potential.”
Mchunu in turn said he is looking forward to starting the next chapter of his career in Cape Town.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the best players and coaches around and take my game to the next level,” he said.
“The Stormers environment seems a special one from the outside and I want to get involved and contribute everything I can when I join at the end of the season.”
In the meantime, with Nche out injured, Mchunu will continue to be an influential member of a Sharks team that is challenging strongly for a top four finish in the URC.
Who knows, while the Stormers’ derby commitments are completed in the league stage of competition, there is a chance he may even end up facing his new team in a playoff game in May.