Sharks have snatched the signature of the Springboks second rower Eben Etzebeth who joins on a long-term contract until 2027.
The Sharks CEO Dr Ed Coetzee said attracting big players like Etzebeth aligns with their vision becoming the biggest franchise in world of rugby.
“Attracting a player of Etzebeth’s calibre underlines the importance The Sharks place on building a winning squad, which is aligned to the vision of being the biggest franchise in world rugby,” Dr Ed Coetzee told Sharks media.
“We’re also focused on building a strong group of players for a number of years, not just the immediate future and Eben’s long-term contract reflects this.
“We want to create a winning culture here at The Sharks across the board and from a team perspective, bringing players who have achieved at the highest level helps in our goal of achieving this,” he added.
The 30-year-old who has played 97 times for Boks will end the season with his team Toulon in France and join Sharks in July.
Etzebeth says being closer to home, seeing big names like Siya Kolisi at Sharks were the factors that motivated him to join the Durban based team.
“I’m looking forward to coming to The Sharks and living in Durban and I expect this to be a wonderful chapter in my career,” said Etzebeth.
“Family and being closer to home was a big motivating factor, as well as being able to represent a great team like the Cell C Sharks.
“I can see things are happening there, Siya [Kolisi] is there and we’ve been friends since were in the provincial Under 19s together and now we will get to play for the Sharks together. Along with my Springbok team-mates Bongi Mbonambi, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, Thomas du Toit, all guys I know well. I’m also really excited to meet a few new guys.
“I chatted to Siya, I gave Thomas a call and chatted to them. Off the field, things work, on the field we can see things are working and the team is doing well, I enjoyed watching the last game against the Bulls and the victory away from home and this is a brand I definitely want to be associated with and which I’m proud to be joining.” he added.
