ULSTER HAVE ANNOUNCED the signing of Springbok Jean Deysel on a two-year deal after the back-row forward was granted an early release from his contract with the Sharks.
Deysel recently spent three months on loan at Munster as injury cover and came on a second half substitute in Saturday’s Guinness Pro12 final defeat to Scarlets at the Aviva Stadium.
The 32-year-old South African international will now head north to Ravenhill to link up with Ulster ahead of the 2017/18 season.
“I’m very pleased with this outcome as I think Jean will add real value to our squad both on and off the pitch,” Ulster operations director Bryn Cunningham said.
“We had a sizeable list of potential targets, even at this late stage of the season, but we believed Jean would be the best fit because his attributes are exactly what we need moving forward.
“He is one of the strongest ball carriers in South African rugby and he really relishes the physical side of the game. He is abrasive and confrontational, with the ball and without the ball, as we have witnessed first-hand for Munster.”
Capped four times by his country, Deysel will add back-row competition to the northern province’s ranks with Marcell Coetzee and Schalk van der Merwe also adding strength in depth.
Deysel made 156 appearances for the Sharks after joining from the Lions in 2007 and made his Test debut for South Africa against Italy in November that year.
The powerful flanker also enjoyed a brief spell with Japanese side Toyota Verblitz at the conclusion of the 2014 Super Rugby season and will bring a wealth of experience to Ravenhill.
“Jean has captained the Sharks a number of times and that leadership ability and added experience will be important for us as we look to nurture some talented young forwards in our pathway,” Cunningham added.
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