The Lions have confirmed that scrumhalf Faf de Klerk will join Sale at the end of the Super Rugby season.

The English Premiership club announced on 8 May that they had signed De Klerk on a three-year deal, but the Lions insisted negotiations were still taking place.

They have now agreed to release him.

'Faf is still very important in our Super Rugby campaign, as he plays a vital role in our squad system,' said Lions CEO Rudolf Straeuli. 'The player made a personal request to be released to further his career abroad and we felt we couldn’t stand in his way while we also couldn’t match the offer he received.'

De Klerk joined the Lions in 2014. He has earned 58 Super Rugby caps and scored 12 tries.

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