Lood De Jager signs for Sale Sharks on three-year deal
Wednesday 24 April 2019 19:39, UK
Sale Sharks have signed South African international Lood De Jager from the Bulls on a three-year contract.
The 26-year-old lock will arrive in Manchester ahead of the next Gallagher Premiership season or, if selected, after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
De Jager started his career with the Cheetahs and quickly burst into the spotlight after a stellar first season.
The 6ft 9in 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 second-row 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.
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.
"Firstly it is a great honour for me to join Sale Sharks," said De Jager.
"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 it and I'm looking forward to joining up with the guys in Manchester later in the year."
Sale Sharks Director of Rugby Steve Diamond added: "I am extremely pleased to secure the services of Lood for the 2019/20 season.
"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 Gallagher Premiership and Europe over the next three years."
