Sias signs with Force

Sias signs with Force

29 May 2012

The Force have announced the recruitment of Cheetahs flyhalf Sias Ebersohn on a two-year deal.

Ebersohn, who has struggled to establish himself at the Bloemfontein franchise, signed as the club’s foreign developing player. With Johan Goosen likely to boss the flyhalf spot as long as he remains at the Cheetahs and the coaching staff seemingly having lost confidence in Ebersohn, the latter’s playing time was set to be limited.

RugbyWA CEO Vern Reid said the Force had been tracking Ebersohn’s progress and made the approach during the side’s recent visit to Bloemfontein.

‘Following our meeting, Sias has agreed to accept our offer to be the foreign developing player in the 2013 season,’ Reid said. ‘The agreement is now before the Australian Rugby Union as they need to approve any foreign developing player contracts under the contracting guidelines.’

Foreign developing players are signed on a two-year contract with a Super Rugby franchise and must exhibit potential to play for the Wallabies to be approved by the ARU.

‘In our view, Sias has great potential to make a significant impact for the Western Force in the Super Rugby competition and at an international level and for the past couple of seasons has been touted as a future Springbok,’ Reid added. ‘We are delighted he has accepted the offer to play for the Force and look forward to welcoming him into the programme.’


45 Comments

  • 1.billy: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 10:25 am

    Wonder if this is more an immigration move as opposed to a rugga move.

  • 2.ufo: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 10:25 am

    damn…!!

    good luck sias… hope you rock for the force…

    but would’ve loved you to have moved down to cape town…!!

  • 3.Sasuke: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 10:33 am

    Wow well done Sias. This move will be good for him. He is going to miss his brother though.

  • 4.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 10:37 am

    Very good move for the young man.

  • 5.Bouts: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 10:41 am

    Actually glad for Sias. Sias has a serious problem psychologically, since he seems to be easily demotivated. Sport Psychologists are a bigger thing in Aus, and they should be able to shake him awake.

    For some reason sport psychologists are taboo in SA rugby.

    Heck… in the US there are no sportsman who doesn’t have his own personal sport psychologist, in all sports. In fact, what you achieve in sport in the US is more related to your therapist than your agent.

  • 6.>^..^< katman: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 10:43 am

    Who touted him as a future Bok?

  • 7.Oranjebliksemblou: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 10:57 am

    @>^..^< katman(katman)-6:
    The Sharks but now they lost out to the force. The banana boys must be p!ssed that they could not get their hands on anther FSer.

    Where do the Sharks stay when they play in Bloem?……………..

    At their parents house. ;)

  • 8.Bok Shark: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 10:58 am

    Quite a few players leaving the cheetahs for overseas teams lately. Naka can’t be happy!

  • 9.Bouts: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:06 am

    @Bok Shark(Bok Shark)-8: Perhaps, but I don’t think it’s major issue, since it is mostly players who haven’t impressed this season. Except for Johnson and WP, but Lappies and Coenie was set to claim these positions either way.

    Hmmm… I see Daniller is out for the rest of the Super Rugby season.

  • 10.viewer: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:07 am

    @1 better coaching, actual professionalism, probabably better money
    , Better lifestyle
    Hell, I’d do that too!

  • 11.THE MAULER: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:20 am

    Might just improve his Flyhalf play and he could become much better at attacking the line…

  • 12.Jeez: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:22 am

    What a baby, his bother will probably follow. He cant take it to be the #2 flyhalf and now 3rd. But the cheetahs will probably be kicking themselves. That Smith 10 of theirs are 28 years old! I thought he was pretty young.

    These Cheetah players who always jump ship after a decent season must nudge Naka closer to the insane asylum! Shame the Cheetahs can never hold on to any players. And the same old story continues, why they will never be at the top of the log!

  • 13.mshiniwami: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:23 am

    Riaan Smit done a better job than Sias this year anyway

    Goosen is the best young 10 in SA

    Cheetahs covered

    Sad for Sias though who never seemed to make step up consistently.He has the Gaffie du Toit/Ruan Pienaar syndrome about him…

    But could have been a good signing for say Stormers,Kings.

    Good move for him personally though I guess.

  • 14.Jeez: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:24 am

    Wow ‘are’ slipped in there haha

  • 15.willievz: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:25 am

    I thought the Ebersohn twins came as a package?

    Like the Du Plessis boeties?

  • 16.Lions_Soutie: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:34 am

    @willievz(willievz)-15: You can only come in a package when you have the bargaining power ;)

  • 17.greatest13gerber: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:39 am

    @mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-13:

    “the Gaffie du Toit/Ruan Pienaar syndrome”

    spot on :D

  • 18.Papoose: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:43 am

    another great potential lost to us because of Quotas!! :-(

  • 19.brains_trust: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:43 am

    lets hope he fairs better than the likes of: Sarel P who can’t even make the run on side of the lowly Tah’s or that turn coat Rathbone ….

  • 20.Horings: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:46 am

    @Papoose(papaown)-18: Explain?

  • 21.Horings: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:47 am

    Will he be available for Currie Cup rugby? Correct me if I am wrong, but Sarel Pretorius is available for the Cheetahs in the CC.

  • 22.ufo: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:49 am

    @Papoose(papaown)-18:

    goosen and smith must be the lightest black dudes i’ve ever seen…

  • 23.Sasuke: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:54 am

    @Bouts(Bouts)-5: True. The Boks need to Henning Gericke on a permanent basis.

  • 24.willievz: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:55 am

    @Lions_Soutie(Lions_Soutie)-16: Hehe true!

  • 25.Sasuke: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:55 am

    @ufo(ufo)-22: Smit.

  • 26.Sasuke: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:56 am

    @Horings(Horings)-21: You mean Griquas? He never signed with the Cheetahs…..or did he?

  • 27.ufo: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:56 am

    @Sasuke(Sasuke)-25:

    it was a silent ‘h’… :wink:

    apologies…

  • 28.Sasuke: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 11:58 am

    @Jeez(Jeez)-12: Wow didnt know Riaan “True Blue” Smit was so old. He is quite good though.

  • 29.Sasuke: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 12:00 pm

    @ufo(ufo)-27: Is cool :lol:

  • 30.Jonck: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 12:13 pm

    I’m a Stormer fan, but something that I have picked up is that many retired players that moved a bit around tell one later that there best years were with the Vrystaat(Cheetahs) and that the liked the team spirit( abit lake family), etc and believe it or not Bloem. They say there is not so much to do so you “kuier” much more their with friends, team mates, etc.

  • 31.Papoose: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 12:20 pm

    @ufo(ufo)-22: just thought i’d be Hondo for a moment :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
    feels surreal

  • 32.Sasuke: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 12:28 pm

    @Jonck(Jonck)-30: cool story bro

  • 33.umkhonto: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 12:49 pm

    This is a big problem for SArugby, we losing players who should be playing Super Rugby for any of the franchises, Free State do not have the money, the Lions are in dire straits but I think they can muster up a bit of money to survive.
    The Aus getting a third of the Super rugby purse is allowing them to poach, they do not have to run a second tier team in other competitions, SARU need to sort this **** out when this is renegotiated. Supersport pay way too much for what we get, otherwise we must get out of Super Rugby.

  • 34.wpstormerbok: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 12:56 pm

    @Papoose(papaown)-31:
    LOL

  • 35.sparticus: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 13:37 pm

    @Papoose(papaown)-18: Yes , both Goosen and Riaan Smit ate quota players !! Stupid. My name is Forrest , Forrest Gump !

  • 36.sparticus: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 13:42 pm

    @sparticus(sparticus)-35: Ate = are and I see your post now at 31, sorry :( ,

  • 37.ufo: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 14:07 pm

    @Papoose(papaown)-31:

    hehehe…

    i’d rather stick drawing pins in my eyes… :lol:

  • 38.RiotBananas: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 14:20 pm

    @sparticus(sparticus)-35:

    Good grief they ATE quota players? Is this story related to the face eating incident in the US?

    I suspect zombies.

  • 39.sparticus: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 14:58 pm

    @RiotBananas(Dawnpre)-38: LOL , I saw that article , insane ! Some reckon he works for the umbrella corp.

  • 40.race of tan: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 15:07 pm

    Rugby is a professional sport now so if Sias has decided to go to Oz then all the best to him.

  • 41.houston, we have a problem...: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 15:47 pm

    @Papoose(papaown)-31:
    @ufo(ufo)-37:
    :lol:

  • 42.Brigadier Van Zyl: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 17:09 pm

    good for you sias, you’ll love perth.

    i rate sias but looks to be one of those “confidence” player sorts.

    the ozzies will help you sort this their players never seem to lack confidence.

  • 43.viewer: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 19:03 pm

    Sheesh papoose

  • 44.YoMama: Reply to this comment
    29 May 2012, 19:09 pm

    Perhaps this will give the Cheetahs some money to buy some good players. Perhaps a lock?

    Seriously, Sias is too mentally fickle to play in South Africa (just like me). The Aussies do a much better job of turning average players into great players. (they have to, they have very little talent to go around). In SA, it shape up or ship out. We don’t work with players, much to our detriment.

    The good news, is that this mean that the Force won’t be signing Peter Grant who was also rumoured to sign for them. Actually, it would be funny if Sias now had to play second fiddle to another superior Saffer flyhalf.

  • 45.bryce_in_oz: Reply to this comment
    30 May 2012, 04:58 am

    @umkhonto(umkhonto)-33:

    Illogical… Australia with 1/3 of the purse is worse off than RSA with 1/3 of the purse when you consider how rubbish the Rand is and how much higher the cost of living is in the worlds most liveable country.

    So if RSA according to you cannot retain it’s players because of the above then they have inept administrators (surprise surprise)…

    Sias is leaving due to poor player management and lack of opportunity thanks to Naka… not money.

Keo.co.za has always promoted uncensored views, but has never tolerated racist or crass outbursts. Come on guys and girls. If you can't moderate yourselves or each other then I am going to be forced to regulate the posts and enforce a registration process for comments. The choice is yours.

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