Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen is confident that as the upcoming United Rugby Championship (URC) season unfolds, scrumhalf Haashim Pead will play an important role in its evolution and progression.
It has been recently brought to light that Pead had been pursued for a transfer from Johannesburg to Cape Town by the Stormers, with that deal believed to have now collapsed. Unsurprisingly, there has been a fierce outcry from the Cape-based team’s faithful supporters, who have charged — among others — that the Joburgers are stifling the development of the former Junior Springbok by not releasing his services.
Those critics point to a lack of game time and opportunity at the Doornfontein-based outfit, and the fact that Pead seems to be third in the pecking order, behind Springbok Morne ‘Krappie’ van den Berg and Nico Steyn. The arrival of Asad Mosaad has also been used as a further justification for the Lions to release Pead.
Krappie’s recent exploits against the All Blacks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, however, have complicated any such transfer talk. The loss of Pead, in a season where the Lions will seek to maintain their top-nine status in the URC, while competing against juggernauts such as La Rochelle, Toulouse and Saracens in the Champions Cup, demands that Van Rooyen and Co have healthy depth to call upon across all positions.
That includes the No 9 jumper, which Van Rooyen believes will require player management as decreed by the Boks' requirements and World Rugby’s player wellness protocols.
Pead joined the Lions last season after a highly successful World Rugby Under-20 World Championship campaign, and his stock has only risen since then in the eyes of many, who see his next step into the Boks setup.
On Thursday, at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg, at the Lions' URC 2026/27 season launch, Van Rooyen revealed the plans for Pead in the new URC season.
“Firstly,” said Van Rooyen, “I am proud of his first season in the URC.
“He joined us after the U20 World Cup; he didn't really have a pre-season with us. So, for him to get the minutes that he got — I think he got 15 caps altogether — shows the trust from us.
“He is an exceptional player," van Rooyen continued. "How does he fit in with us?
“I think Krappie has cemented himself nicely as a solid top 23 at the Boks. So, between him, Nico, Asad, Leighton (Horn), Zian (Cilliers) and all the other youngsters that we have, we are looking for that X-factor and a moment that they can create for us. That is Hash, isn't it?
“Will he get more minutes? I am confident he will.
“Will he get more opportunities? I am confident he will.
“Can he become a Bok with us? I am confident he can.”
Van Rooyen insisted that Pead was only getting started at the union, and that he has established himself firmly in the URC squad.
Said Van Rooyen: “He had a good pre-season.
“We didn't give him too much Currie Cup time as we wanted to prepare him and get him fit and ready for the All Blacks and the URC. I don’t see him as a Currie Cup player.
“We believe we have really shifted the URC group in terms of our pre-season and we showed a couple of glimpses of that against the All Blacks. We are hoping that we can start the season like that and Haashim is important for that.”
With the availability of Van den Berg uncertain for the URC campaign, Van Rooyen also explained that each of the squad’s scrumhalves would be assessed per game, based on the conditions they would play in, the opponents and naturally the gameplan.
“All three (Van den Berg, Steyn and Pead) of them have got exceptional X-factor,” said Van Rooyen.
“Krappie, like I said, I think he is going to be at the Boks a little bit more often going forward. You cannot go into a season with just one scrumhalf.
“The roles they are in are different horses for different courses. There will be different gameplans (for each). We have to find a way to use all of them wisely.”
The Lions start their URC season at home next week Saturday when they host defending champions Leinster.