Sale Sharks and Bayonne are locked in three-way a tug-of-war with the Stormers to land Springbok lock Salmaan Moerat when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

Moerat, 26, who became the first Muslim to captain the Springboks when he led them out against Portugal, is weighing up his future with the United Rugby Championship strugglers.

It would be another blow for Stormers boss John Dobson, who is preparing a contract offer for Moerat, who has won 10 Test caps and has played 54 times for the Cape Town outfit.

The Sharks are one of the Gallagher Premiership clubs to show an interest in signing Moerat, while Bayonne are keen to lure him to France. Both have held talks in a bid to get a deal across the line.

Moerat admitted that 2024 had been a dream year creating history by skippering the Boks and becoming a father for the first time and said that he still hasn’t been able to process what happened.

“I thought, ‘Surely this can’t be real.’ I had absolutely no idea. No one gave me a heads-up. It was a total surprise. For any player, you aspire to be the captain of the Springboks, but you don’t think it’s possible until it actually happens.

“It’s something you dream about but can’t imagine. You work hard and do your best to get there, but until you’re actually there, it’s not real.

“I don’t think I’ve really processed the magnitude of that moment. But when I do consider it to be the first Muslim captain in the history of the Springboks, I’m at a loss for words. I come back to the responsibility part of it.

“Being the first Muslim Springbok captain, that only matters if I do a good job and perform as I should. I need to be an example and pave the way for others to follow. I can’t just be the first and last one,” he told RugbyPass.