While most teenagers were refreshing their phones for matric results, Markus Muller was running drills at his first Stormers training session.
The Paarl Gymnasium captain and South Africa Under-18 midfield star quite literally swapped the classroom for the change room, asking his mother to collect his matric results while he answered a different kind of call-up.
The timing was poetic. On the very day his results were released, Muller stepped into the Stormers’ high-performance environment for the first time. It was a symbolic handover from schoolboy rugby to the professional arena. Like a flyhalf choosing the corner over the posts, his priorities were clear.
Muller is part of a powerful new wave of schoolboy talent already secured by the Stormers for 2026 and beyond. The Western Cape franchise has locked in Paarl Gymnasium’s dynamic duo of centre Muller and loose forward Quintin Potgieter.
Alutha Wesi have joined from Rondebosch Boys’ , with centres Randall-John Davids, prop Matt van der Merwe and wing Jordan Steenkamp, hooker Altus Rabe and loose forward Gert Kemp from Paul Roos,.
Wynberg Boys flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, Boland Landbou scrumhalf Jayden Brits and Grey College lock AJ Meyer have also joined the fray.
Seasoned Stormers wing Leolin Zas, who first clocked Muller’s talent at Craven Week, believes the teenager has all the raw tools to thrive at the next level.
“His first day was yesterday [Tuesday], and he looked a bit nervous,” the 30-year-old back said of the 18-year-old.
“I can’t wait to share some things with him.”
For Muller, the nerves were not limited to the training field. His matric results arrived via WhatsApp mid-session, delivered by a proud mother on the sidelines of adulthood.
It's been a big week for Markus Muller – Matric results, training with the DHL Stormers and now his first interview with @johneetfouche. #inittogether pic.twitter.com/2JpdDWsDCz
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) January 14, 2026
“I asked my mom to collect my results,” he said in an interview conducted by veteran prop Neethling Fouche.
“During training, when I had time off, I looked at my phone, and my mom sent me a picture.”
The verdict? Relief, more than celebration.
“I was ‘quite’ happy with having passed his matric exam,” he said.
“I was a bit nervous, but it was fun.”
Already described as the best schoolboy centre in the country last year, Muller speaks with the versatility of a modern backline forward hybrid. If the Stormers need muscle in tight exchanges, he is ready to answer.
The young midfielder said he would happily answer the Stormers’ call to pack down in a scrum if the need arises, but he would like to be part of a maul as well. This is a sign of a player keen to bind himself into the collective effort rather than stand alone in the spotlight.
Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson says this aggressive recruitment of local schoolboy talent is no coincidence, but a deliberate investment in the region’s rugby bloodstream.
“Our contracting model is to look at local talent from the region first as a way to keep strengthening the pathway system,” Dobson said.
He added that the quality and volume of young Western Cape players coming through the schools system has given the franchise confidence that depth and sustainability can be built from within.
“The strong intake of local talent is extremely encouraging as the Stormers look to build significant depth by drawing on the best that the schools in the Western Cape have to offer,” Dobson said.
“We have seen a few big success stories in recent years, with the likes of Damian Willemse, Salmaan Moerat, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, JD Schickerling and Suleiman Hartzenberg all coming through our system to become household names.
“We expect the same to happen with many of these players who will join our environment next year and we are not done here, with a few more significant names set to be added to this list in the near future.”
For Markus Muller, the journey has only just kicked off. The scoreboard still reads zero, but the ball is in play, and the Stormers are already setting up their next attacking phase.
