Bath confirm their latest new signing is ex-Springboks half-back

Ex-Springboks scrum-half Louis Schreuder will join Bath at the start of next season, strengthening the squad in a key position. Club CEO Tarquin McDonald said: “Louis brings extensive, high-level experience in the southern hemisphere, at club and international level, and has proven his value in the Premiership during a successful spell with Newcastle Falcons.

“We are investing resources in the spine of the team, striving to ensure the squad includes at least two top-quality players in the key positions.”

The 31-year-old Schreuderemerged with the Stormers in Cape Town, thrived with and captained the Sharks in Durban and was selected in the Springbok matchday 23 on no fewer than 19 occasions, winning a solitary cap against Wales in 2017.

Schreuder said: “There is a growing sense of excitement around Bath at the moment, and I look forward to making a full contribution in the next few years.”

The signing of the South African is the latest development in the major Bath rebuild for next season. This past week, the recruitment of three other players and the unveiling of Joe Maddock as their new attack coach was confirmed. 

It was December when the club announced that Johann van Graan would become its new head coach for 2022/23, and director of rugby Stuart Hooper was last week asked by RugbyPass how much involvement does he have with the incoming South African coach regarding planning the recruitment for next season?“Johann has had small amounts of input but he understands what we are doing and why we are doing it,” he said.

“He is absolutely focused on Munster now but we have taken small pockets of time, when they have not had a game, for example, to get through the detail so that he is absolutely on board with the plan of what is going on and when he comes in in July that he has got the squad and the group that he needs.”