Saints corner a young Bull

Northampton Saints have signed Bulls utility forward and former South African Under-20 captain Gerrit-Jan van Velze, a player they have targeted for some time.

The physically imposing Van Velze has come through the academy system in Pretoria and already has impressive leadership credentials having twice captained the Blue Bulls to the Vodacom Cup title.

On top of captaining South Africa Schools he was a nominee for the IRB Under-19 Player of the Year in 2007 before working his way through the ranks at Loftus Versfeld to become a member of the Bulls' Currie Cup squad and make his Super Rugby debut in 2010.

Van Velze said that he is excited that the next stage of his career will be spent at Franklin's Gardens.

"I'm lucky enough to have got the opportunity to come here and take my career to the next level. We see a lot of the games in South Africa with Saints being one of the biggest clubs, so we all know of the team and how it plays.

"I'll be filling big boots, that's for sure. But I'll be coming to a club that's very professional and with people who work hard and want to win trophies. I've been very impressed with the club; it's somewhere which can be compared to the best clubs in world rugby," he said.

Saints Director of rugby Jim Mallinder said: "We've been following Gerrit-Jan's progress for some time and are very happy that he is coming to Franklin's Gardens in the summer. 

"He will bring plenty of qualities to our squad – he carries the ball well, has lots of pace and shows good game understanding and leadership.

"We will need all of those things as we look to stay at the top end of the Premiership and get to the knock-out stages of European competition, and believe that Gerrit-Jan can play a big role in our development as a squad," added the Saints boss.

Bulls head coach Frans Ludeke said it is sad to see Van Velze leave.

"We understand and respect his reasons for moving on and wish him well. He has been part of our structures for a long time and is well respected for his leadership and dedication to hard work," Ludeke said.

"We will never stand in the way of our players exploring opportunities elsewhere and I can honestly say that Gerrit-Jan will leave here as a friend. We might see him back in future."