Uh oh. Here is a bit of good news for Australia, but not-so-good news for us South Africans.
It seems the folks from down under has successfully poached another one of our star rugby players. Brynard Stander, a (now former) back row player for The Sharks, is the latest South African to join the Western Force.
The move is both surprising and dissapointing; this is the eighth (yes, you read that right) South african player that the Western Force has signed on for the Super Rugby season.
Along with newly signed Stander, the Western Force looks dead-set on making their team at least half South African. Other Saffa players include Wilhelm Steenkamp, Marcel Brache, Chris Heiberg, Dillyn Leyds, Francois van Wyk, Dylan Sage and Sias Ebersohn.
Way to go, Force.
Stander has been recruited for two seasons with the club. In the past, the Force have mainly selected players from Australia’s east coast. However, with the exceptional talent brewing locally, they had to do something if they wanted to stand a chance…
Stander, on the other hand, says that although the decision to make the move was difficult, he was welcomed with open arms – (well, obviously):
“Moving here from South Africa was a big decision, particularly moving away from my family, but it’s been such a welcoming atmosphere,” the 23-year old said.
While The Sharks and many of us South africans can only sigh, it still doesn’t mean that the Super Rugby cup is going to be on Aussie soil this year. With our local teams looking better than ever, we might just be able to claim that title of Champions.
Source: SuperSport
