South Africa’s two-time Rugby World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi will return to the Stormers in July 2026, the Cape Town-based United Rugby Championship franchise confirmed on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old loose forward, who began his professional career with the Stormers before joining the Sharks in 2020, will come full circle by rejoining the team that first nurtured him after schoolboy rugby at Grey High School.
Kolisi, South Africa’s first black Test captain, has endured a challenging period in recent years. After a difficult stint with French Top 14 side Racing 92 and the breakdown of his marriage, he returned to the Sharks in 2024. The move back to Cape Town, he said, is driven primarily by family.
“My family lives in Cape Town, and it is important for me to be close to them,” Kolisi said in the Stormers’ announcement. “This move gives me the opportunity to do so while also giving back to the team and the fans who have contributed so much to making me the player and the man I am today.”
The Stormers described the transfer as a chance for Kolisi to finish his career where it all began, while remaining close to his loved ones.
“This transfer will allow Kolisi to be closer to his family and contribute to the team where it all began for him after playing school rugby,” a club statement read.
The Springbok icon arrives at a strong Western Cape outfit, where he will link up with fellow Springboks Cobus Reinach and rising star Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The reunion is expected to provide a significant boost to the Stormers’ playing strength and fan engagement ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Kolisi, who boasts 103 Test caps, has enjoyed a stellar 2025 with the Springboks. South Africa, currently ranked No. 1 in the world and fresh from a dominant Rugby Championship campaign that included a record 43-10 victory over New Zealand in Wellington, swept all five of their end-of-year Tests in Europe.
The Springboks, two-time defending world champions, are already preparing for their bid to achieve an unprecedented third consecutive Rugby World Cup title in Australia in 2027, where they will face Italy, Georgia and Romania in the pool stage.
Kolisi’s return to the Stormers is widely viewed as one of the most poignant transfers in recent South African rugby history — a decision that prioritises family, legacy and emotional roots over further overseas opportunities or financial gain.
The move also sets up what many supporters are already calling a fairytale final chapter for one of South Africa’s greatest rugby sons.
