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Pieter-Steph will stay put, for now

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Despite Pieter-Steph du Toit’s desire to leave The Stormers, the Cape Town-based franchise have managed to hold on to the World Rugby player of the year.

CAPE TOWN – The Stormers have confirmed that Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cobus Wiese and Jean-Luc du Plessis submitted requests to have their contracts terminated, but the trio remain with the franchise for now.

In a statement released on Saturday afternoon, the franchise said they would be sitting down with the players for further discussions and negotiations regarding their contracts.

“As previously indicated by WP Rugby, the existing contracts between the players and the Company are considered as binding and WP Rugby has reserved the right to hold players to these contracts or exercise other rights that may be held. These options will be discussed with the players that have purportedly cancelled their contracts and more information about the course of action will be provided in future,” the statement read.

The 27-year-old Du Toit has been integral to the Stormers since joining them from the Sharks four years ago. Initially brought in a second-rower, he has transformed into one of the world’s finest blindside flankers in recent years.

According to the Stormers, Du Toit, Wiese and Du Plessis were the only three who submitted termination notices. Recent reports have linked Du Toit with a big money move to France. Whether that will happen remains to be seen.

They added that prop Wilco Louw and fullback Dillyn Leyds will be leaving at the end of the season after reaching agreements with European clubs.

The Stormers had intended to use the current year to say farewell to the fabled Newlands Stadium, but that has not gone as planned due to the coronavirus pandemic that has brought sport around the world to ab abrupt halt.

“The 2021 move to Cape Stadium remains on track, and while everyone is sad to say goodbye to DHL Newlands, the opportunity to deliver an exceptional matchday experience in a truly world class environment is extremely motivating,” the Stormers said in a statement.

“Watching rugbt at Cape Town Stadium will become one of the must-see experiences in world rugby, just as Newlands has been. The experience will attract not only rugby fans, but sport fans in general who want a unique experience.”

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