Are the Lions 'opening the door' for Pead's departure?

The Lions coaching staff may well have legitimate reasons for the lack of game time enjoyed by South African Under-20 star Haashim Pead.

In fact, with their United Rugby Championship team on a six-match winning streak and sitting pretty at third place on the standings, it would seem foolish to question the selection of Ivan van Rooyen and his coaching roster.

Their victory run includes success against the Sharks, Stormers, Edinburgh, Dragons, Glasgow Warriors and Connacht.

That is no mean feat.

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Their last loss in any competition was the 17-52 reversal against the Bulls in a URC Round 11 fixture back in January.

With just two rounds remaining, the Lions are on the brink of an historic first-ever appearance in the URC play-offs and qualifying for a seat at Europe’s top table, the Champions Cup.

The Stormers and Warriors have become the first teams to secure a spot in the last eight.

Seven teams are now battling for the remaining six places, while the race for a home quarterfinal is tighter than ever, with just four points separating the Lions in third and the Bulls in seventh.

However, despite the Lions’ URC success, there remains a nagging question.

Why is Baby Bok Haashim Pead not getting any game time with the senior team?

In the rout of Glasgow Warriors and the past weekend’s win over Connacht, Morné van den Berg and Nico Steyn were part of the URC matchday 23.

When Lions Under-23 took on their Sharks Under-23 in the franchise competition, Pead was not in the matchday 23.

However, he did start in the impressive win over the Bulls in the age-group competition this past weekend.

There is a justifiable argument to be made for ‘carefully managing’ the young star.

And he is on their books for at least another season.

However, there is already interest from other franchises, and the need to keep the young man contented is a very powerful counter appeal.

The Sharks will soon be in the market for a quality scrumhalf, following confirmation that Springbok Grant Williams is to leave the franchise at the end of the 2025/26 season (in June) to join a Japanese club.

The 29-year-old’s departure is a significant blow to the Durban-based side, with Jaden Hendrikse and Ross Braude expected to take over responsibilities.

However, Hendrikse suffered a second significant head injury in the 28-33 loss to Edinburgh at the weekend.

Adding depth and quality is a real challenge.

The Stormers have also suffered some serious No.9 setbacks this season and may soon be putting feelers out to add some depth to their No.9 roster.

Springbok Cobus Reinach suffered a knee injury after being trapped in a ruck in the win over Glasgow Warriors at the weekend.

Although it has been confirmed that he did not suffer a serious (ACL) injury, he is still expected to be sidelined for a while, and Imad Khan, who replaced him against Glasgow, will carry the load.

The vacancies at two other franchises do leave room for manoeuvring if Pead is looking for more ‘senior’ game time to enhance his Springbok aspirations.

While Van den Berg’s position as the Lions’ premier scrumhalf is undisputed, one wonders why Pead and Steyn are not ‘rotated’ more often.

The argument can be made that the Lions need stability and experience going into the play-offs, but they can also do with the unpredictability of Pead.

He scored a match-winning try against the Sharks in Durban after coming on for a 15-minute cameo in January.

A product of the Bo-Kaap and a Bishops-schooled star, Pead has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the South African game over the last couple of years.

The 20-year-old memorably ignited the global game conversation during the 2025 World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy when he was named Junior Springbok Player of the Year, having shattered records previously held by international icons like France star Antoine Dupont.

Pead’s stats set a new benchmark for scrumhalves at the Under-20 level and earned him an immediate call-up to spend time in the senior Springbok setup.

His clinical decision-making, lightning-quick service, and tactical kicking have made him one of the most highly-rated rising stars in the world, while he has already settled into the senior game as a key performer for the Lions during the ongoing United Rugby Championship.

Pead’s potential has clearly caught the eye of the national selectors, and after spending time at another Springbok alignment camp earlier this year, many believe he could make his Test debut in the near future.

@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com