Stormers snag another promising talent from local rivals to ease positional crisis: ‘He has real long-term potential’

Sharks lock Corne Rahl and an inset of Stormers director of rugby John Dobson.

Sharks lock Corne Rahl and an inset of Stormers director of rugby John Dobson.

The Stormers have confirmed the signing of Sharks lock Corné Rahl, who will join the Cape-based club at the end of the current season.

The 24-year-old will return to the Western Cape after being schooled at Oakdale and adds some much-needed depth in the second-row at the club.

Corné Rahl signs for the Stormers

The 2.03-metre-tall and 122-kilogram forward adds to the lock stocks at the Stormers, who lost the services of Salmaan Moerat and Ruben van Heerden to French clubs La Rochelle and Montpellier at the end of last season.

Director of rugby John Dobson said that Rahl is a perfect fit for what the squad requires: “Corné is a player who has shown he can stand up to the best in the game and at 24 he has his best years ahead of him.

“It is important for our players to understand the region and what rugby means here and as a product of Oakdale he certainly fits the bill in that regard.

“He’s a big man who has shown an impressive work-rate and we are looking forward to seeing how he develops his game once he joins us here.

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“With Salmaan Moerat and Ruben van Heerden both having moved to France at the end of last season, we wanted to invest in a player who has real long-term potential and we have that in Corné.”

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Rahl added: “Right now, I am obviously focused on performing for my current team, before I make the move to Cape Town next year. I am glad that my future is secure and with this announcement done I can focus on playing rugby.

“There is no doubt that the DHL Stormers are building something special, and I am also looking forward to being a part of that once I join next season.”

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