Northampton Saints have signed former South Africa captain Corne Krige who has been released by Western Province.
The 29-year-old flanker captained the Springboks on 18 occasions including the infamous clash at Twickenham in 2002 that England won 53-3.
He won a total of 39 caps, making his last appearance in the 2003 World Cup quarterfinal defeat to New Zealand.
Head coach Alan Solomons, who has worked with Krige at international and Super 12 level, was thrilled with the signing.
”Corne is a fantastic bloke with strong leadership qualities as evidenced by his captaincy of Western Province, the Stormers and the Springboks,” he told the club website.
”He is a hard-nosed, abrasive open side flanker in the mould of Budge Pountney. I count him among the top open sides in world rugby.” — Sapa-AFP