White lures South African behemoth back from France

TRANSFER NEWS: The Blue Bulls Company confirmed the signing of 26-year-old lock forward Jan Uys from French Top 14 club CA Brive who will join the Bulls as of 1 July.

Uys has spent the last few seasons with CA Brive after an initial six months with fellow Top 14 outfit Pau.

It did not take him long to carve out a reputation as powerful ball carrier in the unforgiving environment that is French rugby, but what sets him apart is his ball-handling ability, an attribute usually more associated with loose forwards and backs.

The 1.99m and 120kg behemoth made his first-class debut in the 2014 instalment of Vodacom Cup in the colours of Western Province after representing the union at Under-21 and Under-19 level. He also contributed to UCT's cause in the 2014 Varsity Cup where the Ikeys clinched the final in the most dramatic fashion.

The former Paul Roos Gimnasium scholar spent a season with the Eastern Province Kings in 2015 where he captained the U21 team on occasion before leaving for France.

It is the second confirmed lock signing for the Bulls this week after Sintu Manjezi's move from the Cheetahs was confirmed on Tuesday.