By Adnaan Mohamed
CAPE TOWN – Haashim Pead has barely pulled on a DHL Stormers jersey and already John Dobson has placed an intriguing name alongside his: Antoine Dupont.
The 21-year-old Bo-Kaap scrumhalf is set to make his Stormers debut from the replacements bench against the Hollywoodbets Sharks at DHL Stadium on Saturday, with Dobson comparing his potential with the French superstar who previously won the Junior World Championship Player of the Tournament award.
It is a remarkable reference point for a youngster whose own global breakthrough came at the 2025 World Rugby Under-20 Championship, where Pead was named Player of the Tournament after producing electric running, rapid service and instinctive attacking rugby.
“We went to a lot of trouble to get him,” Dobson said.
“He’s world-class … I don’t want to use that term glibly, but he’s a high-quality player.
“With all respect to Stef [Ungerer] and André [Warner], Haashim is the future. The quicker we get him on the field and develop him, the better.”
That is a sizeable endorsement before Pead has even played his first senior match for the Stormers.
The Lions moved quickly to sign him after his Junior World Championship heroics, although opportunities in Johannesburg were limited. His four-year Stormers deal has now brought him back to Cape Town, the city he calls home and the team he dreamed of representing as a child.
The geography adds another layer to the story.
Pead grew up on the cobbled streets of Dorp Street in the Bo-Kaap, less than 2km from DHL Stadium. On Saturday, he could walk onto the pitch in the Stormers jersey he once imagined wearing as a youngster.
He will deputise for two-time Rugby World Cup winner Cobus Reinach, giving the teenage sensation a front-row view of the demands of elite professional rugby.
Pead’s challenge is now to turn potential into production.
The scrumhalf has the speed to exploit broken-field opportunities and the passing game to accelerate the Stormers’ attack. The Sharks derby will offer a very different examination from the junior international stage.
The Stormers have surrounded him with serious experience, naming 11 Springboks in their match-day squad. Seven returning internationals are set to make their first Stormers appearances of the season.
Damian Willemse starts at fullback, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu partners Reinach at halfback and Siya Kolisi moves to blindside flank. Wilco Louw is also set for his first Stormers appearance since 2020.
Then there is the bench.
Fourie, who has 141 Stormers caps, provides veteran guidance alongside Evan Roos, Riley Norton, Connor Evans, Neethling Fouché, Vernon Matongo and Wandisile Simelane.
The Stormers will also wear their new black kit, reviving the iconic 1999 Men in Black campaign.
Dobson expects the occasion to resonate with supporters.
“This weekend we also play our first match in the new Men in Black kit, which is a great nod to our past and something which resonates deeply with our fans.”
For Pead, the symbolism is even stronger.
The world has already seen his potential.
Now Cape Town gets its first look.
And if Dobson’s Dupont comparison proves to be more than a headline, the Bo-Kaap boy could be at the beginning of something extraordinary.
DHL Stormers:
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements:
16 Deon Fourie, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Evan Roos, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane.