Exeter Chiefs: Ruben van Heerden signing announced to fill gap left by departing locks at Premiership club

Stan Wilson

13 Jun 2022 7:05 AM

Exeter Chiefs have announced the signing of lock Ruben van Heerden from South African side, the Sharks, who compete in the United Rugby Championship.

The signing is a smart one for the Chiefs who needed to add second-row forwards to replace Jonny Hill, Sean Lonsdale and Sam Skinner who are set to leave the Devon side.

Van Heerden should be an invaluable addition for Exeter‘s scrum, standing at six foot six inches and weighing in at 18 stone. With measurables like this, the South African lock should have no trouble adjusting to the physicality of the Premiership.

The former Springbok U20 international is looking forward to the move and tackling the challenges that northern-hemisphere rugby will bring.

Chief-to-be

“I’m so excited about coming to the Chiefs,” said Van Heerden. “I’ve followed them for some time and you can see they are such a good team, packed full of quality players and who have a game to really challenge the opposition.

“For me, it’s like a dream come true to join a club like this. The Premiership is right up there as one of the best, if not the best, competitions there are to play in. Every week is a challenge, the teams are so strong, so it’s going to be a great battle for myself.”

After chatting with director of rugby Rob Baxter in depth, the Premiership move became an easy decision for Van Heerden.

“This is such a big opportunity for me,” continued the lock. “Speaking with Rob and hearing about the club, I knew I wanted to join straight away. Watching the Chiefs, you can see how hard they work for one another. There are no show ponies in the team, they graft for one another every game and that’s what really appealed to me.

“As I said, moving to England is a different challenge for me, but it’s one I’m really excited about. I know a couple of the guys [Jacques Vermeulen and Jannes Kirsten] already, so I’m sure that will help me settle in. All I’ve heard, though, is positive and good things, so I can’t wait to get started.”

Exeter Chiefs