Big Joe off to Toulon?
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:54
It would seem that Springbok eighthman Joe van Niekerk could well be on his way to French Top 14 club Toulon as soon as September this year.
Van Niekerk has been somewhat of a surprise inclusion in the Springbok starting XV on their Australasian Tri-Nations tour, but formed part of the team that famously claimed a first ever Springbok win over the All Blacks in Dunedin last Saturday.
Toulon announced their squad for the 2008/2009 season at a media conference on Tuesday. The announcement revealed that Van Niekerk would be playing with former All Black Jerry Collins in the back row.
Van Niekerk's agent and mother, Cathy van Niekerk, was coy on the subject, and stated that her son's proposed move to Toulon "was only a rumour at this stage".
Cathy van Niekerk was instrumental in initiating court proceedings against English club Northampton Saints earlier this year, after the club cancelled Joe's contract following an injury to the player.
However, Joe van Niekerk's provincial coach, Lions mentor Eugene Eloff, revealed exclusively to rugby365.com that the player had spoken with him regarding a possible move to France.
"Joe did inform me that, because he was not offered a Springbok contract, he wanted to go play overseas," Eloff told this website.
"So there could well be a measure of truth in that report.
"I don't know if anything has been officially agreed, but I know that [Toulon] did speak to him [Van Niekerk]."
Eloff said that he did not have any ideas about when Van Niekerk's proposed move would take place, but guessed that the Bok loose forward would probably look to move after his current stint with the Springboks came to an end.
"It would probably be sorted out after the Tri-Nations," said the coach.
Toulon also revealed Western Province lock and vice-captain Ross Skeate as another signing for the new season.
Skeate could be joining Van Niekerk, as well as former WP and Stormers team-mates Tiaan Liebenberg and Francois van der Merwe in the new-look Toulon squad.
Liebenberg showed some excellent form in this year's Super 14, before his season was interrupted by injury.
The former WP hooker has already toured with the Springboks, but decided to accept a deal with Toulon after completing his Super 14 commitments with the Stormers.
Had Liebenberg stayed in South Africa, he could well have received another call-up to the Bok squad, after skipper John Smit suffered a groin injury and Bismarck du Plessis was handed a three-week ban for an incident in the second Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand.
Promising WP lock Francois van der Merwe also signed up for Tana Umaga's Toulon outfit last week, continuing the worrying trend of South African forwards heading north on lucrative contracts.
Since gaining promotion to the Top 14 from France's Pro D2 (second division), Toulon have lost the services of Springbok lock Victor Matfield, Blue Bulls lock Francois van Schouwenburg, and also the potential services of another Springbok and Blue Bulls lock in Bakkies Botha.
Botha of course lost the court case in which he tried to have his lengthy Bulls contract annulled, which meant that he could no longer join Toulon.
Western Province officials could not comment on Skeate's future movements on Tuesday.
By Phil Coetzer
