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Austin have announced the signing of South African hooker Robbie Coetzee for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 31-year-old arrives at the AG’s with nearly a decade of experience as a professional in his home country, most notably with the Lions in Super Rugby.
Originally from Pretoria, Coetzee made his senior provincial debut with the Blue Bulls in 2002. He switched to the Golden Lions in 2013 and a year later started 11 games in his first season of Super Rugby. Coetzee’s form earned him selection to the Springboks tour to Europe in 2014 but he was forced to withdraw due to a persistent neck injury.
Were it not for his loyalty to the Lions in recent years he might have seen many more Super Rugby caps but the emergence of World Cup winner Malcolm Marx has restricted Coetzee’s playing time in recent years. He is the latest South African hooker with Super Rugby experience to move to MLR, following the likes of namesake Stephan Coetzee at Seattle, San Diego’s Dean Muir, and new Free Jacks signing and fellow Lions export Pieter Jansen.
