Namibia hooker Louis van der Westhuizen has confirmed that he will be joining the Cheetahs later this year on a one-year deal.

Van der Westhuizen, fondly known as ‘Chucky’, made his Test debut at the age of 18 and has represented Namibia at both the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.

The 25-year-old also played for the Leopards and captained the NWU-Pukke in the Varsity Cup, where he won the NWU’s Rugby Institute Player of the Year award in 2019.

Van der Westhuizen says he will look to draw on his international experience for his new team.

‘It is definitely a major step in my career and I am looking forward to joining the Cheetahs,’ he said.

‘I think that they are playing very exciting rugby at the moment and it’s going to be exciting to play with some familiar faces and old teammates from the Varsity Cup days.

‘I really think that I can use my international experience to add some value to the team, but I am very excited to be able to join a quality side that performs at PRO14 level,’ he added.

Photo: Namibia Rugby