Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie says new signing Frans Steyn is ‘on a mission’ to prove himself worthy to play against the British & Irish Lions in 2021.
The Cheetahs officially confirmed that they had finally secured Steyn’s signature on Sunday, after being linked to the Springbok veteran for close to two years.
Steyn – who will turn 33 in May – is the second experienced player to move to Bloemfontein in as many years after the Cheetahs signed scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar in 2019.
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While he was raised in Bloemfontein, Steyn played only youth rugby for the Free State and chose to begin his professional career with the Sharks in Durban. Overseas stints with Racing 92, Toshiba Brave Lupus and Montpellier followed.
It is reasonable to expect this to be Steyn’s last professional move, but Fourie told OFM Sport that the utility back is as fired up as ever with the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa on the horizon.
‘A guy like Frans wants to play against the British & Irish Lions next year, so he is not coming back to Bloem to retire,’ Fourie told OFM Sport’s Morgan Piek. ‘He is on a mission; he wants to play in those Tests against the Lions. He will be in good shape, and he will be working hard. We are looking forward to Frans joining the squad and contributing to the success we want to achieve.
‘We are really excited about having Frans Steyn at the Cheetahs. We spent quite a few months on the recruitment process and we can confirm that he has signed with us from the 1st of July for two years.
‘It will be valuable for our squad to tap into his experience and use his skill set. He is versatile and can play any position in the backline, from 10 to 15. We see him as a guy who can play flyhalf or inside centre, and that is where we will use him.’
Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images
