Stormers coach John Dobson has confirmed the team will be without the outgoing Dillyn Leyds, Jamie Roberts and Wilco Louw when a domestic Vodacom Super Rugby resumes.

Leyds signed a contract with French Top 14 club La Rochelle back in March, bringing his eight-year association with Western Province rugby to an end. The move was confirmed by Dobson on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, it looks unlikely that veteran centre Jamie Roberts will be able to finish his loan spell in Cape Town. Roberts had joined the Stormers for a short-term move this season, but returned to Wales before South Africa went into lockdown and has since been working with the NHS.

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The Stormers will also be without tighthead prop Wilco Louw, who earlier this year was officially confirmed to have joined English Premiership side Harlequins.

‘We have a couple of players going to Europe, leaving after the end of Super Rugby would have been on 30 June,’ Dobson said. ‘I am sure that those guys are still going, so we will be without Dillyn Leyds, Wilco Louw and Jamie [Roberts] has already gone. So, those guys won’t be available for whatever domestic competition from 1 July.’

The 27-year-old Leyds has been a consistent and valued member of both the Stormers and Western Province’s back three since returning from a short stint with the Perth-based Western Force.

As it is unlikely that a domestic tournament will take place before 1 June, it appears that Leyds has already played his last game for the franchise and will sadly depart without a proper farewell.

‘Both him and Wilco Louw are Springboks and both have been really good servants to us, Dillyn especially,’ Dobson said. ‘He has probably been in the system for about 10 years.

‘The fact that they could have already played their last game for the Stormers is very sad. I wouldn’t mind if they did stay a bit longer so we could play a game and say goodbye to them, but that is emotional and less important at this stage.’

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