London Irish have announced the capture of CJ Van der Linde until the end of the season on the same day that they confirmed that the club has been taken over by an Irish consortium.

The South Africa international has arrived at the club after a group of Irish businessmen led by Mick Crossan, who is the executive chairman of Irish's principal sponsor Powerday, completed a takeover.

Director of rugby Brian Smith told the club's official website: "CJ is a 70-plus cap Springbok and has been brought in to replace Halani Aulika as a starting tighthead. He's a world class scrummager and will bring a lot of experience and composure to our pack, particularly at scrum time.

"His arrival is timely as we look to re-establish ourselves as a dominant scrum in the Premiership. I know Glenn Delaney and Phil Keith-Roach are keen to work with a World Cup-winning tighthead."

Van der Linde has 75 Springboks caps to his name.

Written by
Danielle Joynson