South African ace JJ ready to hit new heights after signing for Saints

The 26-year-old South African lock arrives at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens from French Top 14 side Stade Français.

Born in Pretoria, he began his professional career with the Durban-based Sharks franchise, making 23 appearances in three seasons across the Super Rugby, Rainbow Cup and Currie Cup competitions.

Van der Mescht also represented South Africa at Under-20s level, playing five matches at the 2019 World Rugby Championship and scoring twice as the Junior Boks picked up a bronze medal in Argentina.

He made 75 appearances for Stade during four seasons in Paris, scoring seven tries, including one in an Investec Champions Cup victory against Saints in January.

Van der Mescht is Northampton’s sixth new signing ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, joining No.8 Callum Chick, fly-half Anthony Belleau, props Danilo Fischetti and Cleopas Kundiona, and wing Amena Caqusau.

The black, green and gold have also promoted eight players from the club’s Academy set-up into the senior squad.

Van der Mescht will link up with Saints later this month as Dowson’s side begin pre-season training.

And the second row forward is excited to see what he can add to the squad.

“I love the way that Northampton Saints play rugby, full of style and excitement,” van der Mescht said.

“It was clear after playing against Saints last season that this is a talented team who are tightly connected and genuinely enjoy playing together.

“The club also has a fantastic reputation for developing players. That came through strongly in my conversations with the coaches – they’re passionate about helping players grow.

“I’m hungry to keep improving and take my game to the next level. I have ambitions to play for the Springboks one day, but I know that starts with improving and performing well for Saints – and that’s a challenge I’m really excited about.

“I’m also really looking forward to coming over and playing in the Premiership. A lot of my friends play in the league, so I’ve been watching it closely, and it’s always been a goal of mine to come over and play in England. I’m proud to be making that move and excited to see what I can bring to the competition.

“I’ll be coming over to Northampton for the first time in a few weeks, and my wife and I are very excited for that.

“One thing that really struck me when I played against Saints in Paris was the number of supporters who had made the trip over the France – I loved chatting with them after the game. They were great people, and I can’t wait to be part of that community.”