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Northampton confirm exit of ex-Springboks wing Courtnall Skosan
By Liam Heagney
Former Springboks winger Courtnall Skosan will leave Northampton at the end of the season – but there is no indication where he will be playing his rugby in 2023/24. The South African arrived in England in 2021 and was a regular starter under then-boss Chris Boyd, but he slipped down the pecking order under the current director of rugby, Phil Dowson.
A statement read: “Northampton Saints can confirm that Courtnall Skosan will leave the club at the end of the 2022/23 season. The winger – who has scored 19 tries in black, green and gold – departs the club after making 37 appearances in a Saints shirt to date.
“Joining Saints from South African side Lions, Skosan arrived in Northampton with 12 Springbok caps to his name, as well as over 100 appearances across the Super Rugby and Currie Cup competitions with the Lions. The winger also played for South Africa at the World Rugby U20s Championship in 2011 and South Africa A in 2016 before his full international debut for the Springboks in 2017.
“Skosan hit the ground running after touching down in Northampton – with the 31-year-old scoring an impressive hat-trick of tries on debut against Worcester Warriors in 2021 before adding a further ten tries in his first term. The former Springbok has made 16 appearances so far this season.”
Dowson said: “Courtnall is a very good man and I feel very strongly about him and his time at the club. It’s fair to say Courtnall has made a significant impact on the field too, his ability to score tries has been an incredible asset but his work rate in all the other areas of his game is just as impressive. He is an absolute professional and I know he will continue to give his all as we fight for a playoff place, after that Courtnall will leave with our very best wishes.”
Skosan added: “Thank you to Saints’ management, players, and staff for the last two seasons. And to the fans – thank you for the support. You really are a force to be reckoned with. There is no better feeling than to play in front of a packed Franklin’s Gardens. For now, though, I’m looking forward to finishing this season off on a high. God bless.”
It was December, in a long-read interview with RugbyPass, when Skosan referenced his contract situation at Northampton. “It’s just this season, but hopefully longer,” he said at the time. “We are hoping to stay overseas, that is the main goal for us. I want to challenge myself; I want to keep growing as a player. That is the main focus.”
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I guess the other option would be to start ALB, he's looked good in the 12 so far when he starts and sets up those outside him. But that would mean putting the vice captain on the bench, which is unlikely. Another option would be to drop Reiko to the bench and play Proctor, though he's gone home so that's not going to happen either.
Both of those players just offer more of the soft distribution skills good centres learn from playing their careers there. Unfortunately that's what's lacking with the current combo.
Go to commentsWhatever let's see if this load of waffle is still valid in 2 years time. ABs will rise we have a lot of new talent coming through. The NPC was the highest standard for years. The game is changing to suit the fast pace we like to play. We get to play the Springboks more, including the franchises, which will make us better! Overall I am optimistic. I will add having watched the England game multiple times we made most of the play. England are an awesome physical team, but you can expect the All Blacks to get better and better at executing the chances. It could easily have been 5 tries to one instead of 3 to 1.
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