Durban — The good news at the Shark Tank is that Springbok Vincent Koch is to plug the gap that will be created when Thomas du Toit joins English club Bath at the end of the season.
The Sharks have been after Koch ever since his English club, Wasps, went insolvent last year. French club Stade Francais signed the 33-year-old Koch on a temporary deal but the Sharks have offered him something more substantial because of the loss of Du Toit, and he has put pen to paper.
ALSO READ: Springbok anchor Vincent Koch set to replace Thomas du Toit at Sharks
Also, Edinburgh have targeted the Sharks’ Carlu Sadie to join the procession of South African props to the Scottish capital — WP Nel and Pierre Schoeman are already there.
Like Bok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, Koch originally played for the Pumas in Nelspruit. He made it big at the Stormers before moving to Saracens where he enjoyed an illustrious career, playing 110 games between 2016 and 2022.
Koch, who has 42 Bok caps, moved to Wasps only for the former England champions to go belly up when they could not pay their bills.
Koch joins fellow 2019 World Cup-winning forwards Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi, Siya Kolisi, and Ox Nche in Durban.
In other news, the Sharks will be welcoming back their former attack coach David Williams, who served under Sean Everitt for a period and was highly regarded by the players.
Williams has been with Bath, but has recently parted ways with them.
Williams is set to join the Sharks after the conclusion of the United Rugby Championship and in time for the expected arrival of new coach John Plumtree in July.
The Sharks’ backroom staff will be revamped ahead of the new season, with conditioning coach Allan Temple-Jones, scrum coach Akvsenti Giorgadze and forwards consultant Jannick Bru all departing.
IOL Sport