Force to sign former Springbok Grant
Nick Taylor July 29, 2015, 7:42 am
Western Force are expected to sign former South African fly-half Peter Grant for the next two Super Rugby seasons this week.
The playmaker, who has scored almost 1600 points in 200 games for the Stormers, Western Province, Kobe Steel and La Rochelle will bring much-needed experience to the Force back line.
He scored 866 of those points, mostly with his pinpoint kicking, in 104 Super Rugby matches for the Cape Town-based Stormers. Grant, 30, won the first of his five Springbok caps at 23 and was tipped to make the No.10 jumper his own in 2007 and 2008 until he was hampered by a shoulder injury.
He will join two other new signings — seven-Test Wallabies centre Ben Tapuai from the Reds and Jono Lance from the Waratahs - as coach Michael Foley looks to build a new attacking back line and adds to the talent of players like Kyle Godwin and Dane Haylett-Petty.
Grant, whose parents and other relatives live in Perth, left La Rochelle left last month for family reasons with a year left to run on his contract. The Force first tried to sign him as a replacement for Matt Giteau six years ago.
He replaces another South African, Sias Ebersohn, who was released to return to the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs while Grant has been replaced at La Rochelle by another Force fly-half, Zack Holmes.
Grant will sign as a marquee player and the Force are expected to resolve the contract issues of South African second-rower Wilhelm Steenkamp, who wants to move to French club Brive.
His leaving would mean Foley needs to recruit at least one new second-rower, having already lost Sam Wykes to Japanese club Coca-Cola Red Sparks.
Announcements on other players, including hooker Heath Tessman, winger Luke Morahan, scrum-half Ian Prior, flanker Brynard Stander and centre Marcel Brache are expected next month.
