The 21-year-old former Junior Springbok captain will be heading to the Sharks at the end of season in order to further his promising career.

Cronjé has been at the Cheetahs since 2020 after a brief stint at Clermont in France. Numerous injuries saw the youngster only play in a handful of games, but the last two weeks he has been outstanding.

Cronjé told OFM Sport that while he is going to France, his heart still bleeds orange.

“I'm not focused on the Sharks right now, I still have a job to do here,” said the quiet loose-forward.

“I love playing for the Cheetahs and this weekend it is another opportunity to play for them and hopefully we can get the win.

“It's actually privilege, if I think back about every time, I had a setback and made a comeback being able to play for the Cheetahs just makes it all fine game. At the end of the day I'm just happy to be playing again.”

Cronjé conceded that the big motivation behind accepting an offer from the Sharks boils down to wanting to further his career and test himself against Springboks that are already in the system in Durban.  Sadly this is something that he cannot get at the Cheetahs.

Friday night’s game at Kings’ Park in Durban kicks off at 19:05.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport