Harlequins have confirmed the signing of tighthead prop Sampie Swiegers, who will join the club from Airlink Pumas at the end of the season.
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The Gallagher PREM strugglers have secured Swiegers, 27, as their latest forward addition of the season, following the arrival of lock James Dun from Bristol Bears.
Speaking about the signing, Quins boss Jason Gilmore said, “He’s a project for us. Good age profile, he’s moving into his peak years as a tighthead.
“Probably starts the puzzle of us getting that tight five to how we want it to look across the next 12 months. Getting him and James Dun in the tighthead side of our forward pack is positive.”
Swiegers was relatively unknown before receiving a surprise invitation from Rassie Erasmus to attend the first Springbok alignment camp in 2024, after they retained the Rugby World Cup in France.
Despite that exposure, Gilmore still views the prop as a player with significant upside, though one who will require further development to reach that level.
“Is he ready to be a starting tighthead right now, potentially. But we know we’ve got some hard work and he knows he’s got to put in a lot of hard work to get where we want to get to.
“We’re really excited about getting him in, he’s a big body, loves contact, loves the set piece so that bodes well for us.
“We’ve got some experience in the front row as well as Adam Jones and Matt Ferguson in the building, so we’re confident he’ll receive the quality coaching required for his development.”
Although currently sitting ninth in the Prem, Harlequins still have a major chance to revive their campaign in the Champions Cup, where they take on Sale Sharks in the Round of 16 this weekend.
