Zebre Parma sign former Springboks U20s star Visser

Zebre Parma have confirmed that they have signed former South African U20s star Dennis Visser.

The South African second-line will join the Italian United Rugby Champions side from the French ProD2 club RC Narbonne.

The 29-year-old former Cheetahs and ‘Baby Bok’ has signed until 2023 with the possibility of extending his contract for a further another year. The 6’7, 118kg athlete will join his new Zenre Parma teammates this summer for the start of the 2022/23 season.

“I am honored to join the Zebre and am looking forward to reaching Parma,” said Visser. “I want to make the most of every opportunity and every challenge that presents itself to me to grow as a player, leaving my mark and making my contribution to the club “.

Eben Etzebeth | Rugby Roots

Eben Etzebeth | Rugby Roots

Born in Benoni, Visser is a product of the same Blue Bulls academy that produced the likes of Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw and RG Snyman.

Visser featured for the South Africa U20s in the Junior World Championships in France, a tournament in which they finished third.

The second row spent three years in Pretoria, taking part in the U19 and U21 competitions of the Bulls and as well as moonlighting in the Varsity Cup for the UP Tuks, who reached the semi-finals of that competition in 2015.

He made his Bulls debut that year, but an ankle injury kept him off the pitch until the end of the season. He moved to Bloemfontein where he has the opportunity to play for the Cheetahs, where, either side of a stint with the Griffons – he would feature before travelling to France and RC Narbonne in 2019.

He spent the last three season at the French side, who gained promotion to the ProD2 from the Federale 1 at the end of the 2020/21 season. The towering lock made a total of 49 appearances for the Transalpini, including 42 as a starter.