Springboks captain Salmaan Moerat has reportedly decided his future beyond this season while ‘favourites’ have emerged for Handre Pollard’s services.
Moerat captained South Africa for the first time last year, leading the side in the victory over Portugal before doing so again in the Rugby Championship against Australia and Argentina.
Moerat stays
His performances for the Boks and Stormers attracted the interest from French and English clubs with his contract expiring at the end of the 2024/25 season.
French publication Midi Olympique reported that Bayonne were keen to add him to their payroll while South African media stated that at least one Premiership club was eager to sign him.
Moerat has been a key cog in the Stormers pack in recent seasons and despite the interest from abroad, he has reportedly put pen to paper on an extension with the Cape-based team.
According to Rapport, he has turned down a ‘tempting’ offer from Sale Sharks to re-sign with the Stormers until after the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
While Moerat’s re-signing is a huge boost for the Stormers, they could still lose a key Springbok ahead of next season with Joseph Dweba yet to sign a contract extension.
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Sale have been linked with a move for the Bok hooker with Rapport stating that two Premiership teams are interested in his services.
The Stormers were able to hang on to Moerat partly because he is a Player of National Interest (PONI) with SA Rugby contributing to his salary. Dweba has lost that status having fallen down the pecking order with the Boks meaning that the Stormers are unable to offer him as much of a competitive salary despite the hooker reportedly eager to remain in South Africa.
Handre Pollard off to Japan?
Meanwhile, it is reported that Leicester Tigers are resigned to losing Pollard at the end of the season with the Springboks star now heading the shortlist of a handful of Japanese clubs.
South African media stated that at least 10 clubs were keen on signing Pollard ahead of next season with four Japanese teams in the race.
Now, Rugby Pass reports that Suntory Sungoliath have emerged as favourites to land his services. It’s not the first time that the club that also employs Cheslin Kolbe has been linked with the Bok fly-half as SportsMail stated the same last October.
Then it was believed that Pollard would take a salary cut to join his Bok teammate in Japan but considering the increased interest, that is unlikely to still be the case.
It is reported that he could command a salary between R15 million and R20 million (around £640,000 and £860,000) a season.
Meanwhile, it is also reported that Leicester reached out to Owen Farrell to gauge his interest in making a return to the Premiership but they were rebuffed by the former England captain.
Francke Horn boost for the Lions
After confirming the departure of Sanele Nohamba to Japan, the Lions have announced the re-signings of two key members of the squad.
The first was that of Asenathi Ntlabakanye who was being courted by French powerhouse Toulouse but opted to remain in Johannesburg instead.
Similarly, Francke Horn attracted interest from France but on Monday the Lions announced that the number eight had signed an extension through to 2028.
“Representing and leading this franchise is a massive honour for me,” Horn said.
“I’m excited to experience what the future has in store as I believe we can achieve big things as a team and most importantly bring joy to Joburg once more.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/springboks-captain-rejects-lucrative-move-while-favourites-emerge-for-handre-pollards-services
