Cheetahs lose Blommetjies to Scarlets

Bloemfontein - The Cheetahs will lose the services of fullback Clayton Blommetjies at the end of the current PRO14 season. 

The franchise confirmed on Monday that the 27-year-old will be joining current defending champions, Scarlets.

In addition, front-rower Tom Botha has signed for Ospreys and will also leave Bloemfontein at the end of the current season.

In better news for the team, tighthead prop Johan Coetzee has committed for another two seasons with the Cheetahs. 

Despite several offers from overseas rugby clubs, Coetzee has decided to extend his contract with the PRO14 newbies. 

"Johan is a player that I rate highly," said Daan Human, Cheetahs scrum coach.

"He is one of the hardest working players in the team and has an unbelievable work rate. If you look at the amount of tackles he makes and work on field, I rate him far above the average tighthead in South Africa." 

Coetzee was born in Windhoek and attended High Agricultural School Boland in Paarl. 

He made his Test debut for Namibia on June 6, 2015 in their 2015 Africa Cup match against Tunisia in Nabeul.  

Coetzee represented the Leopards U21s (2008 and 2009), and he played Varsity Cup rugby for NWU Pukke (2010). He made his first-class debut for the Leopards in 2010. 

After the 2010 season he moved to France, where he joined Top 14 side Racing Métro (2010-2012) before moving to Brive (2012-2015). 

Coetzee returned to South Africa to join the Free State Cheetahs for the 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division, but he missed the tournament through his involvement with Namibia at the 2015 Rugby World Cup where he played in four matches. 

Coetzee was named the Cheetahs' Super Rugby Player of the Year for 2017 and he has represented them in 51 matches so far.