Sale Sharks have confirmed the signing of South African centre Marius Louw.

Louw, 29, has spent his entire rugby career in his homeland, beginning with the Sharks before moving to the Lions in 2022, where he became captain.

He said he had intended to stay there until Sale showed interest and will join the Gallagher Premiership side in the summer after signing a two-year deal.

“My contract was coming to an end this summer, but I didn’t have any plans or expectations to leave,” he said.

“Then Sale asked to speak to me and it was an amazing feeling for a club like that to want to interview me and maybe take it further.

“The meeting with Alex [Sanderson] was an amazing experience. We had such a good talk about the culture and environment at the club but in the city as well.

“I’ve played with most of the South Africans at the club and I’ve been speaking to them about the move. Being able to chat to them and hear about the culture that is already established at Sale has been great.”

Louw said he has family in England and his wife has a British passport because her dad was born in Manchester and her family comes from Salford.

“It feels like everything just aligned perfectly. They are really grateful and I don’t think we could have asked for a more perfect opportunity.

“Nothing was forced, it just happened and it feels like it’s meant to be,” he added.