Ex-Junior Springbok bound for Northampton in Paris swap deal

2024/25 Champions Cup finalists Northampton Saints are understood to have finally agreed a deal with Top 14 outfit Stade Français for lock JJ van der Mescht to move to Franklin’s Gardens next season.

Saints boss Phil Dowson made the former South African under-20 international his first choice to replace Temo Mayanavanua, who is bound for the Fijian Drua, after he impressed in a Champions Cup game in January.

Van der Mescht, who stands at 6 ft 7 in and weighs in at 145kg, scored one of his fourth tries last season in Stade’s 45-35 victory at the Stade Jean Bouin.

Meanwhile, Saints’ Samoan back rower Iakopo Mapu, who was sent off against Ealing Trailfinders in the Premiership Rugby Cup in one of seven appearances for the club last season, is moving in the opposite direction.

Mapu, who joined Saints last November, scored a try on his final appearance in the final day defeat at Gloucester, and was in Paris on Monday, having a medical ahead of his switch to Paul Gustard’s Stade.

Dowson, speaking about his Premiership debut against Newcastle Falcons over Christmas, said that Mapu had been “absolutely brilliant value” since moving to the club.

“Yak has brought such great energy into the environment. He’s been absolutely brilliant value. We were excited about getting the big Yak off the bench,” he said.

Saints have been working hard on a deal for Van der Mescht, after making it clear that they couldn’t afford him unless they managed to get Fijian lock Mayanavanua off their books.

Stade are happy for him to leave, but a deal has proved to be problematic, and at several points it looked like stalling with the major issue proving to be his wages in France, which were understood to be over €450,000 a season.

There were even suggestions from well-placed sources that Stade could have to subsidise a deal if they wanted Ven der Mescht off their wage bill this summer.