Cheetahs scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius will join the Newport Gwent Dragons at the end of the season on a long-term deal.

The 30-year-old will call time on his eight-year association with the Cheetahs, having played over 100 Currie Cup matches during his time in Bloemfontein.

Pretorius made his Vodacom Super Rugby debut for the Cheetahs in 2009, before playing every match of the 2010 and 2011 seasons, finishing the latter as top try-scorer with nine tries.

The news will come as a further blow to the Cheetahs, who are still dealing with the loss of Springboks Adriaan Strauss and Trevor Nyakane, along with a host of players to overseas clubs.

'I am delighted to have signed for the Dragons,' said Pretorius. 'They have a great group of players along with fantastic facilities and coaches, so I am looking forward to joining up with the squad.

'I feel that it's an exciting time to be involved and I'm looking forward to seeing where we can go as a club.'

The Dragons currently find themselves near the foot of the Pro12 table, and director of rugby Lyn Jones believes Pretorius can make an instant impact.

'We are delighted that Sarel has made the move to the Dragons,' said Jones. 'He's a very experienced player and it's that wealth of experience and ability that we need among our young squad.

'He's an exciting signing for us and is a great fit and I look forward to working with him next season.'

Photo: Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images