Namibian industrious flanker Wian Conradie has joined English rugby premiership giants Gloucester and forms part of the club’s long list of new signings for the upcoming 2021/22 season.
The club announced Conradie’s signing on its website over the weekend. The duration of the 26-year-old’s contract with the English premiership side was, however, not disclosed, but he is expected to spend the entire upcoming season at Kingsholm, which is Gloucester’s home turf. The versatile Conradie, who can also play at number eight, joins Gloucester from American Major League side New England Free Jacks. He previously had stints with English club Doncaster Knights before moving to American side Dallas Jackals. Conradie currently boasts 19 international caps for Namibia’s senior side Welwitschias, and has featured at the 2015 and 2019 editions of the Rugby World Cup.
“Wian is a hugely promising prospect, whom we have identified as having real potential. We wanted to strengthen our back row options, and Wian is the exact sort of player whom we want to bring in,” chief operating officer Alex Brown told the club’s website. Gloucester Rugby, which was formed in 1873 and has since 1891 played its home matches at Kingsholm stadium, are an English professional club based in the West Country city of Gloucester. They campaign in England’s top rugby division as well as in European competitions. For the 2020/21 season, they finished 11th overall, qualifying to compete in the 2021/22 European Rugby Challenge Cup.