Hargreaves signs with Saracens
16 Apr 2012
Sharks lock Alistair Hargreaves has agreed to join Saracens from the start of the European season.
The 25-year-old Hargreaves has missed the majority of the Sharks’ 2012 campaign due to injury. On Monday it was confirmed that this will be his last season for the Sharks, and he decided to link up with Saracens.
‘Everybody in South African rugby knows there is something special happening at Saracens, and I can’t wait to get stuck in and make a contribution to the continuing development of the club,’ he said. ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for me at a crucial stage of my rugby career.’
23 Comments
16 Apr 2012, 11:39 am
Who knows, maybe a few seasons up North will harden this oke up and he’ll return as another strong no 5 candidate.
16 Apr 2012, 11:40 am
Poor dragon never quite cracked it.
16 Apr 2012, 12:05 pm
Well there goes Sarries chances next year.
The last time he played for the Boks he hit 1 ruck in 81min. Very lazy player and how he got to play for the Boks I have no clue.
16 Apr 2012, 12:16 pm
Big loss for the Sharks. Their Lock stocks are quite low now. They would need to recruit aggressively or bring up a few youngsters in the Currie Cup.
16 Apr 2012, 12:19 pm
This boy got a free ride to the big time.
How he got Bok caps don’t hav a clue
Was never even good enough to be a starter for the Sharks.
Joins other non factors like Britz,Ernst Joubert etc
Even Mouritz Botha is better than Hargreaves.
16 Apr 2012, 12:21 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-4:
how can you tell…?
i see this as a glass half full moment…
he’s made way for victor…!!
16 Apr 2012, 12:30 pm
No loss whatsoever……this oke is proper useless!
Eben Etzebeth,Juandre Kruger,Rynhard Elstadt are all better options!
Paul Willemse made a bigger statement in his first game in S15 @ 19 years of age!
I reckon he will be a bit part player at Saracens too!
16 Apr 2012, 12:35 pm
good riddance…
16 Apr 2012, 12:47 pm
Sasuke Sharks have a few SA under 20 Locks coming through.. Should be fine…
16 Apr 2012, 12:57 pm
@THE MAULER(THE MAULER)-9: lets wait and see.
16 Apr 2012, 13:32 pm
Why is it so that it is usually Sharks players moving to the UK?
16 Apr 2012, 13:50 pm
@Jonck(Jonck)-11: They speak the better English
16 Apr 2012, 13:59 pm
dont come back
in the picked on protential but fail Bok basket.
Saracens still an English side??
16 Apr 2012, 14:01 pm
@benno_on_tow(benno_on_tow)-7:
Paul Willemse, 135kg!
yes..moved well in his first game. Looks be a young Rudi Visagie(OVS) front of the lineout beast clone!
16 Apr 2012, 14:04 pm
@.Jonck11
Idiot how many Stormers players left for the U.K last year.
Allie is one of very few players to captain a World Cup winning team even if it was an under 19 one he still did it.
He is still young enough to make it and could come back a much beter player.
16 Apr 2012, 14:15 pm
Good luck Hargreaves. Not the best lock out there but a decent contributor for sure.
But with the likes of Sykes, Marais, Bresler and the youngster Piet du Toit there wasnt place for him.
16 Apr 2012, 14:25 pm
@greatest13gerber(greatest13gerber)-14:
Full name Paul Willemse
Date of birth 13 November 1992 (age 19)
Place of birth Pretoria, South Africa
Height 1.99 m (6 ft 6 1?2 in)
Weight 135 kg (21 st 4 lb)
School Monument High School
The man is a beast! – Ashley Johnson will remember him!
16 Apr 2012, 15:10 pm
@benno_on_tow(benno_on_tow)-17:
Ashley – thats one for highlights
16 Apr 2012, 17:17 pm
He seemed to do well at junior international level. PdV coached him at junior world champs.
Jeez that freak of nature Willemse you talking about is 19. Man! Physiologically speaking he’ll only stop growing in his mid 20′s. He’ll pass 200cm soon. The only bogey will be his conditioning. . .
16 Apr 2012, 17:33 pm
@benno_on_tow(benno_on_tow)-17:
He’s down at 124 kg now, when he arrived at Lions he was 135. I cant wait to see this guy play at the Junior champs, feel for some of those younger players.
Lions actually have real potential in their junior lock stocks – Ruan Venter is another sizeable no4 and Ruan Botha is 2m 04 at about 19-20, a bit slimmer but a lineout player. Think we will see a lot more of all of them in the next few weeks.
16 Apr 2012, 17:39 pm
@viewer(viewer)-19:
very good point there…His conditioning
With rugby having advanced way past just SIZE and now more towards athletic tight forward who are able to produce max power output a multitude of times during a game-CONDITIONING is name of the game. Paul Willemse will have to walk his diet as well since he has the propensity to gain weight/ballooning. Many a polynesian boys(and boereseuns-Richard Bands) who were gigantic in u19/u20′s dont make it due to their lack of professionalism linked to their conditioning… young chiefs prop Ben Tameifuna also has to shed a few in compete at higher level
16 Apr 2012, 17:48 pm
@benno_on_tow(benno_on_tow)-17: Is he Chaka’s son?
Sure looks like him.
16 Apr 2012, 21:12 pm
Good point Williev. I believe Monument scouted him from Namibia.
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