'The right club': Former Stormer decides his playing future
SPOTLIGHT: South African forward Ernst van Rhyn has made a big decision on his playing future.
He has committed his long-term future to English club Sale Sharks by signing a three-year contract extension.
The 27-year-old fans’ favourite, who can play in the second row or back row, had one year left on the deal signed when he joined from the Stormers, but he has now extended his stay until June 2029.
‘Ernie’ arrived in Manchester from Cape Town ahead of the 2023/24 season and made his Sharks debut against Leicester Tigers in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
He has gone on to make 46 appearances for the club, including 24 during the 2024/25 season, in which he started all 18 Premiership fixtures.
Since arriving in England, Ernst has earned a reputation as one of the Premiership’s top tacklers and last season he topped the league’s dominant tackle count.
“My wife Bianca and I have been really happy ever since we arrived in Manchester. At the time, it felt like the right club and the right city at the right time, and we still feel the same way.
“We’re happy with in the position we’re in in our lives and we thought ‘why change?’. On and off the fiel,d I’m absolutely loving my time so it was an easy decision to stay.
“We feel like we’ve grown as people and for me, that’s translated into my rugby. I think I’ve developed a lot as a player and with the coaches and the team we’ve got here, I know I can keep growing and learning and getting better.
“We’ve had three semifinals in a row and one final, and I really believe that we’re so close to taking that next step. That’s so exciting. I want to be a part of it when we get there.”
A former junior Springbok captain, Ernst has long been marked out as a leader and within months of arriving at Sale, he’d been added to Sharks leadership groups on and off the field.
Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson said: “As a player and a person, Ernie’s boundless workrate is matched only by the attitude he brings to everything he does and the energy that he gives to everyone around him.
“Off the field he is an incredible leader, not just in how he trains and carries himself, but in his words and the way he speaks to people.
“On the field he’s relentlessly physical and extraordinary player who we feel very fortunate to have at the club.
“We’re so excited that he’s committed his future to the club because we feel he’s only going to get better.”
