Rob du Preez to leave Sharks

Just a few days after SA Rugby revealed a new contracting model designed to keep top players in the country‚ Sharks flyhalf Rob du Preez announced he was leaving.

The 25-year-old Du Preez will join Manchester club Sale Sharks after the 2019 Super Rugby competition on a three-year deal.

Du Preez spent three months at the club in the off-season and impressed everyone at Sale with his work ethic‚ performances and skill.

“I’m delighted to have signed for Sale and was very flattered when Dimes (Sale Director of Rugby Steven Diamond) called and asked if I would consider joining the boys full-time in Manchester‚” Du Preez said.

“It was an extremely difficult decision to leave The Sharks and Durban‚ especially with the family connections I have here.

"But I feel as though it is the right time in my career for a new challenge‚ a change of scenery and feel I can continue to test myself in the Gallagher Premiership after the taster I had in 2018. 


“The club have extremely high ambitions and with the calibre of signings that Sale are making I feel I can play a big part in the future of the club and can’t wait to get started in the UK. 


“In the meantime‚ I am fully committed to the Sharks here in South Africa and will give everything I have during this year’s Super Rugby season and hopefully build on last year’s win in the Currie Cup to produce some more special memories before I leave.”



On Saturday SA Rugby said it would be contracting up to 75 players with a ranking system.

But the mother body also confirmed that the 30-cap rule‚ aimed at keeping younger players in SA‚ had been scrapped.

Rob du Preez has one Bok Test cap to his name.

Diamond added: “Rob came to us last year from the Sharks with an outstanding pedigree and impressed everybody here at Sale from day one. 


“He quickly established himself as an integral part of the match day squad and in his short time at the club fitted into the environment at Carrington seamlessly.

“Rob is exactly the calibre of player we are looking for in our quest to challenge for the Premiership and we look forward to welcoming him back to Carrington after the conclusion of the 2019 Super Rugby competition.”