The Cell C Sharks have made another massive signing with the announcement of Carlu Sadie joining them on a two-year contract.
The tighthead prop is one of the top players in the country and is seen as a future Springbok. He has amassed the most scrum penalties against opposition in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this season.
The signing is the fourth that the Sharks have made in the past week and is a clear sign of their ambitions going into the URC next season as well as their entry into the Champions Cup as well.
Trading land for sea, welcome Carlü Sadie ??
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) May 11, 2022
He is a powerful scrummager and will join us on a 2 year contract. Welcome to our Sharks family Carlü ??#OurSharksForever pic.twitter.com/Sl6yGGrlZ0
Last week the team announced the signing of Maties flyhalf and Varsity Cup star Nevaldo Fleurs to the side as the appetiser.
They then quickly followed it with the news that Springbok midfielder and Sale Sharks hardman Rohan Janse van Rensburg was returning home and had signed a three-year contract with the team.
On Tuesday the Sharks added Lions star Vincent Tshituka to the list as he announced a move to Durban and now Sadie’s name will hurt not only the Johannesburg side but give some massive joy to the Sharks with Thomas du Toit, the current Springbok tighthead, also in the team at the moment.
The Sharks have made their ambitions known since the equity deal with South African-born American investor Marco Masotti and his conglomerate, who later also bought a share in Saracens.
The signings will have shaken up the local market and laid down the gauntlet to other local franchises.
Janse van Rensburg is unlikely to play for the Springboks at the moment with the depth in the midfield, which makes him an excellent signing, and it is the same with Tshituka, who currently doesn't have a South African passport.
Given Sadie isn’t in the current squad and there is depth at tighthead for the Springboks with Du Toit, Frans Malherbe and Trevor Nyakane, he could be crucial in the period when the Boks are on Rugby Championship duty.
The Sharks have lost midfielder Marius Louw and halfback Sanele Nohamba, both to the Lions, but their depth is becoming increasingly impressive as the signings continue.