Forgotten Bok's bizarre transfer to new club
NEWS: Former South Africa No.8 Uzair Cassiem has signed a one-year deal with Pro D2 outfit Oyonnax, bringing an end to a very unorthodox month regarding his employment.
The 35-year-old concluded his four-year spell with Bayonne at the end of the Top 14 season, with his final appearance coming in the quarterfinal victory over ASM Clermont-Auvergne.
The eight-cap Springbok had originally signed for Nationale outfit Nice, with the club announcing the move on July 2.
However, according to RugbyPass, he was looking to back out of the deal with both Biarritz and Oyonnax interested in him, while Nice were demanding a €200k payment for his release.
And just 18 days after Nice announced the deal to recruit the former Cheetahs’ loose forward, his move to Oyonnax was confirmed, becoming the seventh club of his career.
“I am delighted to see Uzair join our club,” said manager Fabien Cibray.
“Through a recruitment focused on youth, he will be the ‘experienced touch’ that will complete our squad. His sunny side will bring a lot of energy and leadership to our team.
“He is a complete, powerful player, capable of both breaking tackles and making plays around him. All of this will, I am sure, bring added value and complementarity to our team.”
✍️ 𝐈𝐜𝐢, 𝐈𝐜𝐢, 𝐜’𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐱 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐜 𝙱𝙳𝙾 𝙰𝚟𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚜 !
Il apportera toute son expérience à notre équipe, @uzair_cassiem est un nouveau 🔴⚫ et vient renforcer la formation oyonnaxienne.
𝐿𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒́ ⤵
— Oyonnax Rugby (@OyonnaxRugby) July 20, 2025