Blow for Kings as 'Vleis' heads to France

Cape Town - Loose forward Jacques 'Vleis' Engelbrecht will not be available for the Southern Kings in next year’s Super Rugby competition after deciding to move to France.

According to Netwerk24, Engelbrecht has signed a deal to play for US Montauban, who play in the French Pro D2 - a division below the Top 14.

The 31-year-old first rose to prominence playing for the Southern Kings in the 2013 Super Rugby competition.

He then represented the Bulls for two years but said the move to Pretoria was the "biggest mistake" of his rugby career and returned to the Kings in 2015.

In 2016, he again played Super Rugby for the Kings, before being loaned to the Boland Cavaliers for this year’s Currie Cup Premier Division.

He was one of the Kings’ contracted players for the 2017 Super Rugby season but has opted to leave the franchise.