Bok lock signs for English club
TRANSFER NEWS: Sale Sharks announced the signing of South African International Lodewyk De Jager from the Bulls.
De Jager has signed a three-year contract with the club and will arrive in Manchester ahead of the 2019/2020 Premiership season or if selected, after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
He is the latest Springbok to sign for Sale after Akker van der Merwe and Robert du Preez put pen to paper earlier this year.
Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk currently plays for Sale.
The 26-year-old De Jager started his career with the Cheetahs and quickly burst into the spotlight after a stellar first season. The powerhouse went on to make 40 Super Rugby appearances for the Bloemfontein based franchise and was rewarded for his outstanding form in 2015, winning the prestigious SA Rugby Player of the Year award.
Known in Super Rugby for his superior physical presence, the 125kg lock was quickly recognised by the Springbok hierarchy as an upcoming talent and was selected for the national side in May 2014, at just 21-years-old. The experienced line-out operator has now won a total of 38 caps for South Africa.
NEW SIGNING | Sale Sharks are delighted to announce the signing of Springbok International Lood De Jager!
Read more here 👉 https://t.co/RwCHPvWLEh#SharksByName #SharksByNature pic.twitter.com/3862GPi2Ls
— Sale Sharks🦈 (@SaleSharksRugby) April 24, 2019
In 2016 De Jager made the switch from Bloemfontein to Pretoria, signing for the Bulls ahead of the 2017 Super Rugby Season. He has gone on to make 20 appearances for the Bulls, and was awarded the captaincy ahead of the 2019 season.
“I am extremely pleased to secure the services of Lood for the 2019/20 season,” said Steve Diamond Sale Sharks Director of Rugby.
“He is a world-class line-out operator with lots of experience at the highest level and offers a huge physical presence around the pitch. Lood’s signing is a statement of intent in our endeavour to become a force in the Premiership and Europe over the next three years.”
Commenting on the recent announcement De Jager said: “Firstly it is a great honour for me to join Sale Sharks, they are a club with great tradition and really high ambitions and they are building something really special. It’s exciting to be a part of and I’m looking forward to joining up with the guys in Manchester later in the year.”
