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'Humbled' de Klerk signs new deal with Sale Sharks

By Online Editors
Sale Sharks' raft of South Africans will retain their eligibility for the 2019/20 season, irrespective of the Brexit outcome. (Photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images)

Sale Sharks have confirmed that Faf de Klerk has signed a long-term contract extension with the club.

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RugbyPass exclusively revealed earlier this month that the World Player of the Year nominee was staying with the Gallagher Premiership club.

De Klerk is the latest announcement of a group of senior players to re-sign and commit their futures to Sale Sharks and the North-West of England with Josh Beaumont’s new deal confirmed on Sunday.

De Klerk joined the Sharks at the start of the 2017-18 Premiership Rugby season and made an instant impact to the team. His new deal keeps him at the AJ Bell Stadium until 2023.

The 27-year-old made twenty-five appearances for Sale in his first season scoring 97 points, showing exceptional skill and determination which eventually led to a call up to the Springboks squad for the 2018 summer test series against England in South Africa.

Three exceptional performances followed and put the scrum half firmly on the Springbok radar for the Rugby Championship in November, where the South Africans gained a notable victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand.

Ultimately his consistency and impressive show of ability for club and country over the 2017-18 season eventually led to a nomination for World Player of the Year, with the young scrum half losing out to Johnny Sexton at the final hurdle in November this year.

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“It’s humbling to know a club wants to extend your contract, even though you still have more than a year left on your current one!

“I would not have re-signed if I did not enjoy it here in the North West and really do believe in what we are trying to achieve here at Sale. I want to thank Dimes and the owners for giving me this opportunity and I can’t wait to see what the future holds”, de Klerk said.

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Director of Rugby Steve Diamond added: “I am delighted that Faf has agreed to extend his contract with us. Sale Sharks have had some fantastic players throughout the professional era, there are too many to mention, but Faf is one of a few truly world class players who have been at the club. His ability, attitude and enthusiasm are second to none and are a testament to professional he is.”

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Diamond earlier this month exclusively told RugbyPass that he intended to build a large South African contingent at the club, with a current Springbok hooker, prop and lock on their shopping list after next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.

That puts hooker Malcolm Marx, props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe and lock/flanker Pieter-Steph Du Toit on the Sale radar.

Diamond told RugyPass: “Faf’s looking to extend for three or four years and so is Jono Ross. There is no chance of Faf going anywhere else and my message to other clubs is simple “ go and find your own players!” The du Preez brothers are doing well having joined us and we will be looking to extend their stay.

“Our recruitment drive is in South Africa at the moment with some of Faf’s mates. We are in intense talks with a prop, hooker and lock to come after the World Cup, They are all current South Africa internationals and we are in a good place.”

Currie Cup winner Rob Du Preez is currently on a three month contract from the Sharks as cover for the injured AJ MacGinty and bother Jean joined on a similar deal to provide extra back row options while Tom Curry was out with an ankle injury. Curry is now back in action but Diamond wants to keep du Preez’s ball carrying ability.

Watch: Rugby World Cup Japan city guide – Oita

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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