Sharks add more South African beef
TRANSFER NEWS: Sale Sharks have boosted their playing squad with one of the tallest players in the game.
The Premiership outfit announced the singing of South African second row Jean-Pierre du Preez from the Cheetahs.
The towering lock joins the Sharks on a two-year contract and will link up with the Sale squad at their Carrington training base with immediate effect.
Du Preez – no relation to the Du Preez brothers already at Sale: Jean-Luc, Dan and Robert – will be available for selection following completion of his mandatory isolation period upon entering the United Kingdsom from South Africa.
At 2.09 meters, Jean-Pierre du Preez is the tallest player to ever be registered in Super Rugby and will be the second tallest Premiership player in history.
Du Preez started his senior career with the Lions in Johannesburg, making his Super Rugby debut in 2015.
He went on to make only three more appearances for the Lions before moving to the Cheetahs in 2018.
During his time at the Cheetahs, Du Preez made 26 appearances in both Super Rugby and the Pro 14.
Sharks Director of Rugby Steve Diamond said he was keen to see what Du Preez could do during his time in England.
“We were hit pretty hard with injuries in the second row towards the back end of last season and with Lodewyk de Jager and Josh Beaumont still out, it was imperative we found the right person to come in and ease the load in that area,” Diamond said.
“JP [du Preez] comes from South Africa with great pedigree and is a huge lad with a good skillset so I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do in the Premiership.”
Apart from all the players with the surname Du Preez and De Jager, othere South African in the Sharks squad are Francois de Klerk, Armand van der Merwe, Coenie Oosthuizen, Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, Jono Ross and Cobus Wiese.
