Scholtz finds new home after Wasps release
SOUTH African prop Pieter Scholtz has found a new club after being released by Wasps.
The former Scarlets tighthead was one of seven players the Gallagher Premiership club announced were leaving before their final home game of the 2021/22 Gallagher Premiership season five weeks ago.
Jeffery Toomaga-allen (Ulster), Michael Le Bourgeois (Bedford Blues) have landed new clubs and James Gaskell is expected to confirm a move to Japan in the coming weeks. Rob Miller, Marcus Watson and Cameron Anderson were also released.
Scholtz has become the third player to confirm his new club, with Bayonne confirming they had secured his services on a one-year deal, with an option of an extra year.
The 133kg prop spent only one season at Wasps as they coped with the earlier-thanexpected loss of Kieran Brookes by signing two tightheads last summer. While
Elliot Millar-mills, the other recruit from Ealing Trailfinders, went on to make 18 senior appearances, Scholtz played only nine times for the Black and Golds, and only three times in the Premiership.
He did help Wasps cope with a loosehead prop crisis by training in the position and featuring their in his final Wasps outing against Saracens in the Premiership Rugby Cup in late March.
Wasps have significantly strengthened their tight-head prop stocks ahead of next season with the signings of Vincent Koch (Saracens) and John Ryan (Munster).
Bayonne gained promotion to the Top 14 after finishing second in Prod2 behind Montde-marsan, who they thrashed 49-20 in the final.
Among their signings ahead of their return to the top flight of French rugby are Maxime Machenaud (Racing 92), Camille Lopez (Clermont) and Facundo Bosch (La Rochelle).