The Stormers have taken another significant step in Project 2029 by securing the services of 13 of South Africa’s most promising schoolboy rugby players, who will join the Stormers Rugby Institute in 2027.
The success of the institute’s revival has already become evident. Five players from the 2026 intake were selected for the Junior Springbok squad for the upcoming World Rugby U20 Championship.
Among them is Markus Muller, one of 12 players currently based at the Stormers Rugby Institute. The talented centre has enjoyed a remarkable rise, making his DHL Stormers debut against the Glasgow Warriors in April before earning his first Springbok call-up and representing South Africa A against Zimbabwe in Gqeberha last weekend.
The quality of the 2027 intake is equally impressive. Two of the 13 recruits represented SA Schools in 2025, while another three earned SA Schools A honours as Grade 11 learners.
Oakdale loose forward Jacobus de Villiers, the younger brother of DHL Stormers flank Paul de Villiers, and Grey College fullback Lamla Mgedezi will both be aiming to earn a second consecutive SA Schools selection this year.
Paarl Gimnasium scrumhalf Mickyle Booise, together with Stellenberg pair Juvan Burden (lock) and Ethan van Biljon (flyhalf/fullback), represented SA Schools A last year and will be hoping to graduate to the SA Schools team this season.
Booise is one of four Paarl Gimnasium players joining the 2027 intake, alongside loose forward Hendre van Zyl, centre Ethan Barker and lock Bernhardt Schulze, all of whom have committed their futures to the Stormers.
De Villiers is one of three Oakdale players set to join the institute next year, with front-rowers Kyle Burger (loosehead prop) and Adrian Smith (hooker) also making the move from Riversdale to Stellenbosch.
Paul Roos captain and centre Tiaan Basson, as well as Wynberg Boys’ High School flyhalf Achmat Behardien, will also begin their professional rugby journeys under the guidance of Jacques Hanekom at the institute, which is based at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport.
Explosive Northwood wing Anesu Kuzonyei and the gifted Mgedezi are the only two players in the 2027 intake who attended schools outside the Western Cape.
Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson believes the latest intake will provide another major boost to Project 2029.
“We’ve already seen the impact that the revival of the institute has had this year, and once again, we have been able to attract the cream of the crop for 2027.
“This is a crucial building block in Project 2029, and we are very excited to see how these players develop and progress through our system,” he said.
Dobson added that the latest intake aligns perfectly with the Stormers’ long-term contracting strategy and will help ensure the club continues to develop elite talent capable of sustaining future success.
“There is so much talent in this region, and we have carefully selected this group, so we have full faith in these players who have decided to begin their professional journey with us.
“We have also made some tactical acquisitions from outside the Western Cape as we plan for the future and continue building a squad capable of competing with the best teams in the world while maintaining the highest standards across the board,” he said.
2027 Stormers Rugby Institute intake
- Kyle Burger (Oakdale) – Loosehead prop
- Adrian Smith (Oakdale) – Hooker
- Juvan Burden (Stellenberg) – Lock
- Bernhardt Schulze (Paarl Gimnasium) – Lock
- Hendre van Zyl (Paarl Gimnasium) – Loose forward
- Jacobus de Villiers (Oakdale) – Loose forward
- Mickyle Booise (Paarl Gimnasium) – Scrumhalf
- Ethan van Biljon (Stellenberg) – Flyhalf/Fullback
- Achmat Behardien (Wynberg Boys’ High School) – Flyhalf
- Ethan Barker (Paarl Gimnasium) – Centre
- Tiaan Basson (Paul Roos Gymnasium) – Centre
- Anesu Kuzonyei (Northwood) – Wing
- Lamla Mgedezi (Grey College) – Fullback
