Cheetahs bid farewell to flank, welcome back veteran lock

NEWS: The latest transfer news from the Cheetahs camp is that flank George Cronje is heading to the Sharks and veteran lock Carl Wegner returns after a two year stint at Benetton.

Cronje will face his new team when the Cheetahs travel to Durban to take on the Sharks in the Currie Cup this Friday.

The flank caught the eye in recent games with his excellent turnovers and scrabbling for the ball. It is only now that Cronje has finally come onto his own having struggled with injuries since 2021.

“I will never again complain about playing rugby. It is not nice to sit on the sidelines and watch proceedings from there,” Cronje said.

“Although I must admit I have learnt a lot next to the field. You want to contribute, but you are not focusing on the game, only on yourself. I love the Cheetahs, but this is an opportunity for me to test myself against Springboks so I am thrilled about the opportunity."

Wegner (32) was born and bred in the Free State where he started his rugby career at Grey College. He made his senior debut for the Cheetahs in 2012 and besides a stint or two in France, has played all his rugby for the Bloemfontein outfit.

Coach Izak van der Westhuizen, who played with Wegner earlier in his career, said it was great to have someone with Wegner’s experience back in the Cheetah fold.

Commenting on the game at hand this weekend, Van der Westhuizen said he expected the Sharks to bring in some of their URC players.

“We can just focus on our own processes but I do expect them to bring some of those players in. During our last outing against the Sharks, we were outwitted by their kicking game, so we will need to be sharp in that aspect of the game.”

He confirmed that they were awaiting news on one or two injuries among their forwards which could affect the team selection.