A former Stormers forward has made a sensational start to the season, currently sitting as the top tackler across the major European leagues.
Ernst van Rhyn made the hard decision to leave the Stormers at the end of last season, to take up a move to the Sale Sharks in England.
The 26-year-old had, up to that point, spent the entirety of his career in the Western Cape, where he was raised and schooled at Paarl Gymnasium.
However, Van Rhyn’s first stint away from Cape Town appears to be paying off, as he has been at the heart of a Sale Sharks team that sits second in the Premiership, after winning four of their first five games of the season.
According to Opta Stats, Van Rhyn is one of only two players to have successfully completed more than 80 tackles across the major European leagues this season. He has also made twice as many dominant tackles (24) as any other player across the Premiership, Vodacom URC and French Top 14 this campaign.
24 – @SaleSharksRugby’s Ernst van Rhyn is one of just two players to have completed 80+ tackles across the major European leagues this season (81) and has made twice as many dominant tackles as any other player across the Premiership, URC & TOP 14 this term (24). Brute. pic.twitter.com/YcWPs5n3HQ
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) November 15, 2023
Also able to play at lock, Van Rhyn has been mostly utilised at blindside flank in Manchester.
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix