Johannesburg - Western Province have snapped up another Blue Bull and added a Steval Pumas prop to their ranks for 2015.
According to the supersport.com website, after signing highly promising hooker Bongi Mbonambi, Province have also snapped up SA under-20 heavyweight Wilco Louw to join them along with Steval Pumas prop Vincent Koch ahead of the 2015 Vodacom Super Rugby season.
Louw, who is one of the best up and coming stars in South Africa, impressed in the recent IRB Junior World Championship in New Zealand in the team that lost to England by a single point in the final.
A giant of a front rower, at 1.85m and 133kg, Louw was snapped up from Boland by the Bulls as a youngster, but has since decided to return to the Cape as the Bulls also still have SA under-20 props Pierre Schoeman and Dayaan van der Westhuizen.
However, he is likely to join a Province team that lost both Pat Cilliers and Brock Harris after their Absa Currie Cup victory and is sure to rise through their ranks.
Koch has been exceptional in this year’s Currie Cup, with the former Bulls and Tuks prop moving to the Cape with high Super Rugby ambitions, especially as the front row looked a bit vulnerable in the Currie Cup season.
Louw is not the first Bulls player to leave at the end of the season, following the decision of Blitzbok Sampie Mastriet, SA under-20 midfielder Rohan Janse van Rensburg and scrumhalf Lohan Jacobs to cross the Juksei to the Xerox Golden Lions.
The Lions also look set to snap up top young lock Marvin Orie, who is in negotiations to play Super Rugby at the Lions after the Bulls called in a contractual clause to try and keep him in Pretoria.
The Bulls signed Boks Adriaan Strauss and Trevor Nyakane, as well as flanker Lappies Labuschagne from the Toyota Cheetahs for the coming season