Harlequins have announced the signing of Springbok prop Wilco Louw from Super Rugby side the Stormers ahead of next season.
The 25-year-old tighthead will remain with the Stormers until the end of the current Super Rugby campaign and link-up with his new team-mates in the summer.
Speaking on the move the 13-cap South African international admitted he is delighted to join a club with a reputation such as Harlequins.
“I’m really stoked to be heading to England to play for Quins. If you ask any South African player, they all know Harlequins, its reputation is huge. It’s a big opportunity for me; Harlequins play an exciting brand of rugby with awesome coaches. Gussy has told me to bring my own flavour to Harlequins and I’m really keen to get involved. When I spoke to him in Cape Town, he was really passionate about the future, the guy is full of energy and I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone who talks about rugby and a club with that amount of passion and excitement. I’ve played with André (Esterhuizen) and I know the likes of Stephan (Lewies), so I’m really excited to already have a few friends over there to help me settle in and I’m really looking forward to making new friends at the club too,” he said.
Louw brings a wealth of experience to the squad especially at scrum-time, where he has become a dominant force in the southern hemisphere in recent seasons.
As well as playing for the Stormers he has played in Europe before with a short-term switch to French Top 14 giants Toulon and will be a huge boost to the current crop of Quins stars.
