MANCHESTER – English Premiership rugby side Sale Sharks on Monday announced the signing of Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen.
The 30-year-old prop, who can play on both sides of the scrum, has signed a three-year contract and will join them from the Cell-C Sharks at the end of the 2019 Super Rugby season.
Oosthuizen started his career in Bloemfontein with the Toyota Cheetahs, playing in both the Currie Cup and Super Rugby for his hometown club along with Lood de Jager.
He went on to make 129 appearances in all competitions for the Cheetahs and the 130kg prop ended the 2010 Currie Cup season as the club’s top try-scorer.
Oosthuizen quickly established himself in the professional game as a dynamic player with exceptional speed and agility for his size.
After a stand-out season in 2010, he was selected as part of the Springbok squad to tour Europe in November of the same year but did not make his international test debut until June 2012, starting against England in Durban.
He has since gone on to win a total of 30 caps for the South African national side.
After seven years in Bloemfontein and talk of the Cheetahs being cut from Super Rugby, Oosthuizen left in 2016 to join the Durban Sharks on a four-year deal. He has made a total of 33 appearances for the Durban based franchise to date.
Sale Sharks Director of Rugby Steve Diamond was pleased to announce the signing this week, he said: “Coenie joining us, along with Lood, is a huge statement of where we want to be, he is 130kg, can play on both sides of the scrum and has a skill-set away from the set piece that is unique for a prop of his size.
"He also has considerable experience playing with Akker Van der Merwe at the Sharks so I think he will fit in perfectly at Sale. We look forward to welcoming him to Manchester later in the year ahead of the 19/20 Gallagher Premiership.”