Cape Town - The Stormers may have a fight on their hands to keep the services of centre Huw Jones.

Jones played three Tests for Scotland last year and is part of their Six Nations squad.

After his Six Nations duties, he will return to Cape Town to play Super Rugby for the Stormers.

However after Super Rugby he may set sail for the northern hemisphere permanently, a report on Netwerk24 indicates, with rumours doing the rounds that the 23-year-old could join the Glasgow Warriors later this year.

This will be a further blow to the Cape franchise, after it was announced on Wednesday that fullback Cheslin Kolbe would join French club Toulouse later this year.

The Stormers confirmed to Sport24 that Kolbe is contracted to them until the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season. He will join Toulouse from the 2017/18 season.

The Capetonians have lost several key players in recent times, with all of Schalk Burger (flank, Saracens), Vincent Koch (prop, Saracens), Jean Kleyn (lock, Munster), Nic Groom (scrumhalf, Northampton) Kobus van Wyk (wing, Sharks) and Jacques Vermeulen (flank, Sharks) seeking greener pastures.

In response, the Stormers signed five new players last week - hooker Ramone Samuels, loose forwards Johan du Toit and Stephan de Wit, fullback SP Marais and utility back Dan Kriel.

President of the Western Province Rugby Football Union, Thelo Wakefield, said that the new signings underline the ambition of the union going forward.

“We are a proud union and in terms of our vision 2020 strategic goals, we are looking to put in place the right playing and coaching structures and personnel,” said Wakefield.

The Stormers were in Hermanus for a training camp last week and will play their first match of the year on January 28, when they travel to Zimbabwe to tackle the Cheetahs in Harare.

This will be followed by a clash with franchise partners South Western Districts in George on February 4, before concluding their preparations for Super Rugby with a match against the Lions at Newlands on February 11.

They start their season proper at home against the Bulls on Saturday, February 25.

