Montpellier sign Rebels halfback Ryan Louwrens

Montpellier have just made South African scrum-half Ryan Louwrens their 15th new signing ahead of the new season, as Mohed Altrad’s rebuilding of his squad shows no sign of abating.

Louwrens, 33, has been looking for another club following the demise of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the Super Rugby Pacific campaign that ended with a quarter-final defeat against the Hurricanes in early June.

He made 37 appearances in two spells with the Rebels on either side of a stint in the United States with the Austin Gilgronis and made 14 appearances last season, scoring three tries.

Johannesburg-born Louwrens spent three years in Perth, where he moved as a teenager with his parents and played for the Western Force. He has also spent three seasons in Japan on the books of Kintetsu Liners.

Louwrens is expected to arrive in France next weekend, giving him time to get up to speed in time for Montpellier kicking off their Top 14 campaign with the visit of Lyon on September 7th.

He has signed a contract until the end of the season and will cover for fellow South African Cobus Reinach, who is away at the Rugby Championship until the end of next month.

Reinach, who was part of the Springbok side that beat Australia last weekend, is then expected to be away for the autumn internationals against Scotland, England and Wales in November.

Louwrens won’t be the last new signing through the door at the GGL Stadium, with Josh Moorby, who played two tests for the Maori All Blacks against Japan this summer, set to arrive in the next couple of months.

Moorby, who plays at full-back and on the wing, will jet to France as soon as his commitments with Waikato finish. He scored a try in their 36-21 defeat against the Bay of Plenty last weekend.