Theo Wakefield expects Western Province and the Stormers to be playing at Cape Town Stadium by 2020.

The WPRFU president, who appeared on SuperSport show Phaka on Tuesday night, also said WP would keep Newlands Stadium and develop it ‘into a business entity’.

‘The curtain will come down on Newlands… [but] let me make it abundantly clear that no property [belonging to WP] will be sold, whether it be a house, or Brookside [home of the Villager Football Club], or Oranjezicht, Newlands, wherever. We will never sell off our properties.

‘We will develop [them]. These properties have been lying there, bringing in no money to the union. So now we’re saying “why don’t we develop Brookside, Newlands?”

‘It is a fact that we will move across to the Cape Town Stadium. The process is such that I have signed a heads of agreement with the City Council; the City has appointed a commission to investigate the matter of rugby coming to Cape Town Stadium.

‘A full council meeting will be held at the end of October. At that meeting, the City will say it’s either yes for Western Province or no. if it is yes, we will move to the stadium for many reasons.

‘First, we don’t need to maintain Newlands anymore, secondly, it [Cape Town Stadium] is world-class, thirdly it is a very modern stadium, and modern professional rugby players demand that.

‘We will develop Newlands into a business entity: we are consulting with various developers at present. It will still be the property of WP Rugby. But Stormers and Currie Cup [the WP team] will play at Cape Town Stadium. Not next year… it could be the year after that.’

Photo: Ziyaad Douglas/Gallo Images