Former Sharks scrumhalf Louis Schreuder has officially joined the Newcastle Falcons ahead of the 2020-21 English Premiership season.
Schreuder was part of the Sharks’ 2020 Super Rugby squad, starting in five of their six games, with the team top of the table before the Covid-19 pandemic halted the season.
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However, the 30-year-old was released from his contract after reaching a mutual agreement with the Sharks, for whom he had played since 2017.
The Newcastle Falcons on Wednesday announced that Schreduder had agreed to join the side, following their promotion to the Premiership for the 2020-21 season.
Making his international debut against Wales in 2017, Schreuder has more than 100 Super Rugby appearances under his belt following his time with the Stormers, Sharks and Southern Kings – the 6ft halfback also playing for French club Toulon and Japan’s Kubota Spears.
‘Louis is a top-quality player who has shown it consistently throughout his career,’ Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards said.
‘Our new defence coach, Nick Easter, worked with him at the Sharks so we have great first-hand insight on him, and our back rower Philip van der Walt has also been very useful in terms of getting the inside track from their time playing together.
‘It’s a great signing which adds to what is already a very strong nucleus ahead of our Premiership return, and emphasises the real competition for places that we have among our squad.’
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Newcastle will kick off their Gallagher Premiership campaign on the weekend of 20-22 November following last season’s Championship title triumph. Richards’ men won every single game and sat 18 points clear at the top of the table when it was ended prematurely in March.
Schreuder becomes the Falcons’ sixth new signing for next season, alongside Matias Orlando (Jaguares), Marco Fuser (Benetton Treviso), Tom Penny (Harlequins), Pete Lucock (Doncaster Knights) and Iwan Stephens (Leeds Rhinos RL). Newcastle also welcome back England’s Mark Wilson from his loan spell at Sale Sharks, while Matthew Ward, James Blackett and Phil Brantingham have all been promoted to the club’s senior academy squad.
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