Another senior South African player has quit the country. Stormers and Bok centre Juan de Jongh has signed for England club side Wasps.
The club‚ which lost the English Premier final against Exeter last weekend‚ made the announcement on Tuesday.
De Jongh‚ 29‚ will join the side before the start of next season and will complete his Super Rugby commitments with the Stormers.
It also signals the end of his Test career because he only has 19 caps‚ and won't reach the 30-cap cut off to be considered for selection if based overseas.
He has made 56 appearances for Western Province since his Provisional debut in 2009 and 94 Super Rugby appearances for the Stormers‚ scoring 75 points.
"I can't wait to play for such an amazing club as Wasps in the Premiership and am relishing the ultimate challenge that lies ahead‚” De Jongh said.
“Wasps have an incredible pedigree and some phenomenal players‚ and working with everyone there is going to help me improve my game.
“From everything I’ve heard‚ Wasps sounds like a fantastic place and a perfect fit for any top end athlete to be. Having watched their last couple of games‚ I believe there is a lot to look forward to at the club.
“Hopefully I can add some experience and energy to an already well-established and talented side and hopefully we can start pushing towards European and Premiership success.
"I am 100% focused on what I want to achieve on the field next season and can't wait to get started."
“For the next couple of months‚ I remain totally committed to the Stormers and to achieving our goals.
"It would be one of the highlights of my career if I could be part of a team that again reached the Super Rugby finals.”
Speaking about the Springbok centre‚ Wasps’ director of rugby Dai Young said: “We are really pleased to have Juan coming on board next season.
"He has a good eye for a gap and plenty of pace which makes him dangerous in attack‚ while he also has strong organisational skills in defence.
“Juan’s international experience and his ability to play 12 and 13 will also benefit the squad‚ with Kurtley [Beale] returning to Australia to further his Wallaby career‚ Nick [De Luca] retiring and Alapati [Leiua] moving to Bristol. Juan and Gaby Lovobalavu’s arrival will add to the talented group of centres we have at the club.
“Juan is a good friend of Ashley Johnson whose opinion we respect highly.
"We feel he will fit into the squad really well next season‚ after we’ve all dusted ourselves down from the Premiership Final defeat and re-grouped to prepare to go again for the 2017/18 campaign.” - TMG Digital/TMG Sport
Stalwart Juan de Jongh quits the Stormers
Another senior South African player has quit the country. Stormers and Bok centre Juan de Jongh has signed for England club side Wasps.
The club‚ which lost the English Premier final against Exeter last weekend‚ made the announcement on Tuesday.
De Jongh‚ 29‚ will join the side before the start of next season and will complete his Super Rugby commitments with the Stormers.
It also signals the end of his Test career because he only has 19 caps‚ and won't reach the 30-cap cut off to be considered for selection if based overseas.
He has made 56 appearances for Western Province since his Provisional debut in 2009 and 94 Super Rugby appearances for the Stormers‚ scoring 75 points.
"I can't wait to play for such an amazing club as Wasps in the Premiership and am relishing the ultimate challenge that lies ahead‚” De Jongh said.
“Wasps have an incredible pedigree and some phenomenal players‚ and working with everyone there is going to help me improve my game.
“From everything I’ve heard‚ Wasps sounds like a fantastic place and a perfect fit for any top end athlete to be. Having watched their last couple of games‚ I believe there is a lot to look forward to at the club.
“Hopefully I can add some experience and energy to an already well-established and talented side and hopefully we can start pushing towards European and Premiership success.
"I am 100% focused on what I want to achieve on the field next season and can't wait to get started."
“For the next couple of months‚ I remain totally committed to the Stormers and to achieving our goals.
"It would be one of the highlights of my career if I could be part of a team that again reached the Super Rugby finals.”
Speaking about the Springbok centre‚ Wasps’ director of rugby Dai Young said: “We are really pleased to have Juan coming on board next season.
"He has a good eye for a gap and plenty of pace which makes him dangerous in attack‚ while he also has strong organisational skills in defence.
“Juan’s international experience and his ability to play 12 and 13 will also benefit the squad‚ with Kurtley [Beale] returning to Australia to further his Wallaby career‚ Nick [De Luca] retiring and Alapati [Leiua] moving to Bristol. Juan and Gaby Lovobalavu’s arrival will add to the talented group of centres we have at the club.
“Juan is a good friend of Ashley Johnson whose opinion we respect highly.
"We feel he will fit into the squad really well next season‚ after we’ve all dusted ourselves down from the Premiership Final defeat and re-grouped to prepare to go again for the 2017/18 campaign.” - TMG Digital/TMG Sport
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