THE Du Plessis brothers, hooker Bismarck and tighthead prop Jannie, are going nowhere.
The Springbok front-rowers have committed themselves to the Sharks for the next two years, it was confirmed by commercial manager Rudolf Straeuli yesterday.
The Sharks had contracts with the pair until the end of the year and reports in Johannesburg and Cape Town surfaced on Wednesday that suggested that the brothers were planning on moving on.
Straeuli dismissed the reports as no more than rumours.“We have been busy negotiating with them in the usual way and there was nothing sinister in it. I never thought we would lose them,” he added.
The brothers, like the Cheetahs’ Ebersohn twins, negotiated a package deal and both will be in Durban until at least 2013.
The departure of John Smit to Saracens in London after the Rugby World Cup leaves Bismarck du Plessis as the obvious senior hooker in the Sharks squad, while Craig Burden and Kyle Cooper will provide back-up.
Straeuli also confirmed that their senior players have all signed contracts for next year. Among them are JP Pietersen, Lwazi Mvovo, Marius Joubert, Meyer Bosman, Pat Lambie, Charl McLeod, Ryan Kankowski, Willem Alberts, Keegan Daniel, Alistair Hargreaves, Ross Skeate, Beast Mtawarira and now the Du Plessis brothers.
