The Stormers did all they could to hold onto loosehead legend Steven Kitshoff, but in the end, there was "absolutely nothing we could do", and the 30-year-old this week confirmed a three-year deal with Ulster that starts at the end of the current United Rugby Championship (URC) season.
News24 has learnt that Kitshoff's annual salary with the Irish giants is astronomically higher - around 50% - than the Stormers could offer.
Even with the assistance of a third-party investor, the defending champion Stormers could get to around R9 million per year.
While that is hugely competitive in the South African market, it could not compete with the Ulster deal. Kitshoff now joins Duane Vermeulen, RG Snyman and Damian de Allende as the 2019 World Cup-winning Boks who committed to Irish rugby.