Exeter forward Jannes Kirsten to join Bulls ahead of 2023/24 season

Exeter Chiefs have announced that forward Jannes Kirsten will join Bulls ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Kirsten started his career with provincial side Blue Bulls in 2013 and went on to make his Super Rugby debut with Bulls in 2016.

He also had a brief stint with Japanese club Toyota Verblitz before switching to Exeter Chiefs in 2018. He made 75 appearances for the Devon Club scoring six tries and was part of the side that won a Premiership and European Champions Cup double in 2020.

The 29-year-old thanked Exeter for the opportunity and is hoping to sign off with the club on a high.

“The past four years have been an unbelievable experience, not just in terms of my rugby, but my own personal life," he told the club's official website.

"Coming to Exeter was obviously a new challenge for me, but it’s one that has brought me so much.

“The club, the city, the people, they have all been amazing and I will leave at the end of the season with only happy memories. What I have been able to achieve is something I am very proud of and the friends I have made will be life-long."

A former South Africa Under 20 international, Kirsten is looking forward to return back to his home in South Africa.

“South Africa, however, is home for me and the time is right for me to go back there and continue the next chapter of my rugby career. Heading over to Pretoria just a few weeks’ ago with the Chiefs was very special, particularly as I never thought I would run out at Loftus as a visiting player.

“Also, getting the opportunity to show my homeland to my team-mates and the staff that travelled was something I will remember.

"The Chiefs will always hold a big place in my heart and between now and the end of the season I will be doing everything possible to ensure my time here finishes on a high note.”