Toyota Cheetahs wish Lood all of the best at the Bulls
“I really learned a lot here and made lots of friends. It is hard for me to leave and I am really grateful towards Free State Rugby for everything that they have done for me over the last three and a half years.”
After much speculation about Springbok lock Lood de Jager leaving the Toyota Cheetahs for the Lions or Bulls, according to our sources it has been confirmed that he has agreed terms with the Bulls.
He was a fantastic servant to Free State Rugby who started as a young player and was developed by coaches like Naka Drotske, Os du Randt and Franco Smith.
Lood was a newcomer to senior first class rugby in 2013 when he played in his first Super Rugby match against the Sharks in Bloemfontein at the tender age of 20 years. He featured in 17 Super Rugby matches during that campaign and made his Currie Cup debut for the Free State Cheetahs against the Golden Lions in Johannesburg.
De Jager had an exceptional 2013 season for both the Super Rugby and Free State Cheetahs’ Currie Cup team, using his height, size and athleticism to devastating effect.
Lood earned his first Test cap in 2014 when he came off the bench for Bakkies Botha against Wales in Durban. Two weeks after his debut, De Jager scored two tries in his first Test as a member of the starting line-up against Scotland, in Port Elizabeth.
In 2015 he played only 18 minutes of the first Super Rugby match against the Sharks in Durban, before an elbow injury kept him off the field for the rest of the Super Rugby season. He was sidelined for 154 days before playing his first of ten tests for the Springboks in 2015 when he came on as a substitute for Springbok captain Victor Matfield against Australia in Brisbane.
He was one of the stars at Rugby World Cup 2015 in the UK and was named the SA Rugby Player of the Year for last season, acknowledging his stellar performances in the green and gold during a tough international season.
“It will be a new chapter in my life and I’m looking forward to going to the Bulls. The Bulls is a union with a rich history and I hope to do my part for them.”
“Free State Rugby really ment a lot for me in my rugby career. They gave me a chance when I came from nowhere. I didn’t play Cravenweek. I only played a the PUK and Leopards. At the end of 2012 they gave me the opportunity to train with the Super Rugby group when I was a nobody.”
“I really learned a lot here and made lots of friends. It is hard for me to leave and I am really grateful towards Free State Rugby for everything that they have done for me over the last three and a half years.”
“I also learned a lot from the two coaches, Naka Drotske and Franco Smith. They each had a different approached but I have a lot of respect for both of them. I think that they both did and are doing well in their situations and I have a lot of respect for them on and from the field.
“I would like to thank oom Harold Verster, the Managing Director and the Director of Rugby, Rory Duncan for always being good to me.”
Free State Rugby wishes Lood all the best for the future.
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