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August 10 - The CEO of the Golden Lions Rugby Union, Manie Reyneke, has confirmed that Maties hooker Callie Visagie and Australia Under-20 scrumhalf Eddie Bredenhann have been signed by the GLRU from 2012.
“They are both outstanding young talents, and contracting Callie and Eddie achieves a dual purpose for the Lions: we get quality players to improve our depth, and at the same time we have made an investment in the future of our union,” Reyneke said.
** Visagie was the 2011 Varsity Cup Player of the Tournament and captained the FNB Maties in the 2011 Varsity Cup. He is a highly-rated, tough hooker and has told the website varsitycup.co.za that the move to the Lions is an opportunity he wants to take with both hands. Earlier in the season he turned down an opportunity to play for the Stormers and Western Province due to his study commitments when he was approached with a contract.
He has signed a two-year contract with the Lions.
The 23-year-old former Paarl Boys' High scholar has not played any rugby this season since a Varsity Cup-ending shoulder injury against the Ikeys on March 7, and has since been operated to fix the shoulder. He has been undergoing rehabilitation and will be fit for next season – and his dream of playing Super Rugby and Currie Cup rugby.
** Bredenhann, who has a dual passport, is a big scrumhalf (91kg) who represented the Australian Under-20 side at the Junior World Cup in Italy this year. He plays for Sydney University Rugby Union Football Club, and as a member of the Waratahs Academy was regarded as the possible successor to Wallabies scrumhalf Luke Burgess at the Waratahs Super Rugby team.
The decision to play for the Lions is indeed a big one for the 20-year-old. The former Australian schoolboy scrumhalf, who rates his greatest moment as being in the side that beat the New Zealand school side in 2008, is eligible to play international rugby for both Australia and South Africa – and the decision to join the Lions could be a watershed decision where he wants to try and play international rugby.
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