Getting Steven Kitshoff back for next season was a no-brainer for the Stormers after their equity partner came on board, and the side experienced somewhat of a loosehead problem recently.
But, said John Dobson, Stormers coach and director of rugby, they won’t go outside the local market for any other players even though a couple of World Cup-winning Springboks have rung him up looking to return to South Africa and play in Cape Town.
Although Dobson has been given a budget for rugby matters by the Red Disa consortium and new Stormers Rugby CEO Johan le Roux, there is no urge to go on a cash splash to recruit top players in the world.
“We want to keep this squad together. It’s just a science in rugby by now. The more they play together, the better they will get,” Dobson said yesterday at a media briefing alongside Le Roux.
“There might be one or two more (signing) announcements, but nothing like us going to the market. What is remarkable is that since the signing of this deal, and I am not exaggerating, there have been a few World Cup Springboks who’ve called to say they would like to come back, which is great for us.
“But our major project is to grow the cohesion of this squad. If it fits the budget, and it fits the agenda, we will go ahead and do it. Currently, I am very happy with where we are in terms of the squad.”
Le Roux also said they have no ambition to become a big-money club. But what the new owners, who acquired a 74% controlling stake in the commercial arm, want to see is the Stormers sitting at the top table of world club rugby.
“This is not a vanity project or where we continue funding losses. You have to invest in your team to put out an attractive commercial product. We have to find that balance where we invest enough to stay competitive while fixing the commercial product.
“The idea that WP Rugby was going to go bankrupt was unacceptable to us. It is not an easy environment to step into. If it was, the club would not have been for sale.
“The motive for the investors was to save the rugby club. To make sure this region retains the heritage of Western Province Rugby and the Stormers. This investment is not profit-driven. It is purely in the interest of rugby and what it means to society.”
Dobson said at the weekend, after a narrow loss to La Rochelle in the European Champions Cup, they are not far off the giants of northern hemisphere club rugby.
They lost 21-22 to the double champions at the DHL Stadium, and were it not for injuries to key players and a lack of experience, the result could have gone differently.
“The deal does give us options (to invest). The company is solvent, it has got capital and we have to decide where we will deploy it. For us as a management team, it’s between deciding to invest in the commercial team, coaches, or player base. It is a difficult decision.
“But it is fair to say the budget is probably bigger now than it would’ve been without the transaction.”