Akker van der Merwe deal with Bulls confirmed: 'His know-how will be invaluable'

The Bulls have confirmed a three-year contract with Springbok hooker Akker van der Merwe.

Van der Merwe joins the Bulls from the English Premiership side, the Sale Sharks, who he had previously been with for four years, having made 70 appearances and scoring 31 tries.

The 32-year-old returns home after plying his trade for the Leopards, Lions and Sharks in more than 128 matches overall in South Africa before his stint overseas. 

Van der Merwe's contract will keep him at Loftus until June 2026.

?? NEW SIGNING ALERT ?? There’s an Angry Warthog heading to Loftus ?? Welcome to the Vodacom Bulls Akker van der Merwe ?? pic.twitter.com/6bFtICUkVo

Bulls CEO Edgar Rathbone hopes Van der Merwe's valuable experience will be a great addition to the team. 

"We are thrilled to have Akker join us and a player of his skill and calibre will be a wonderful addition for our franchise as we continue evolving and set our eyes on success across the various competitions," said Rathbone.

"He is also a well-travelled player that has continuously done well wherever he has played and that speaks of a resilient character that will be of great help to our younger players too.

"I know he is a player who is keen to give as much as he can, and his know-how will be invaluable for us.

"We welcome him to the capital and hope that he will have a wonderful time running out with the herd in blue."