Northampton Saints sign RG Snyman-like SA forward

TRANSFER NEWS: Northampton Saints confirmed the signing of a former Junior Springbok lock ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Juan John ‘JJ’ van der Mescht made the move to the Premiership outfit from the Top 14, where he represented Stade Français for four seasons.

The 145kg lock scored a breakaway try when the Saints met Stade Français back in January in a clash at Stade Jean-Bouin.

A powerful, aggressive and physical lock, Van der Mescht made 75 appearances for Stade, scoring seven tries.

Born in Pretoria, he began his professional career with the Durban-based Sharks, making 23 appearances in three seasons across the Super Rugby, Rainbow Cup and Currie Cup competitions.

Van der Mescht also represented South Africa at Under-20s level, playing five matches at the 2019 World Rugby Championship and scoring twice as the Junior Boks picked up a bronze medal in Argentina.

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Something big is coming to cinch Stadium 👀

We are delighted to confirm the signing of South African lock JJ van der Mescht ahead of the 25/26 season ✍️https://t.co/z2lYxu3raO pic.twitter.com/LXq8FlhP5d

— Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) July 2, 2025

Saints’ Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson, had heaps of praise for their new signing and compared his skills to Bok lock RG Snyman.

“Our new scrum coach, Jaco Pienaar, had worked with JJ at the Sharks, and said to us that he is an unbelievably powerful athlete who can play the game,” Dowson said.

“JJ’s potential is through the roof. As well as his obvious physical attributes, he can play ball.

“Jaco [Pienaar] joked that JJ is a flyhalf trapped in a lock’s body.

He’s also capable of making big plays, which can turn matches, like charging down a kick and sprinting in for a 50-metre try when we played Stade in January, for example.

“We have a fine track record of developing top-quality locks, not just in the current crop of second row forwards already in our squad.

“But if you look at the likes of David Ribbans, Alex Moon, and Temo Mayanavanua as well, who came on leaps and bounds during their time here at Saints.

“So, it was a good match. JJ has aspirations to improve and get the most out of his undoubted potential, and the big selling point for him was that at Saints, we have the ability to coach him really hard to achieve that.”

Van der Mescht will link up with Saints later this month as Dowson’s side begins pre-season training, and the 26-year-old is excited to see what he can add to Northampton’s squad.

“I love the way that Northampton Saints play, full of style and excitement,” he said.

“It was clear after playing against Saints last season that this is a talented team who are tightly connected and genuinely enjoys playing together.